


Our Private War

by Silveryfeather



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Dubious Consent, Experimentation, F/M, Gore, Humiliation, Hurt/Comfort, Infestation, Limb removal, Moments of Depression, Obsessiveness, One-Sided Attraction most of the story, POV Alternating, Questions about sexuality, Rating May Change, Romance, Secret Relationship, Sexual Tension, Slavery, Some Fluff, Stockholm Syndrome, Tags May Change, Temporary Infestation, Torture, Xenophilia, rare pair hell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-06-27 07:49:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15681129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silveryfeather/pseuds/Silveryfeather
Summary: "The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war."





	1. Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan

 

I got to my hooves, stretching as I look around while slowly waking up. Dak was still sleeping against a wall, head tilted down to his chest as he rested. I take a moment to admire once again how well protected he looked like that. It was rather amazing...

<Dak?> I shift my hooves, looking him over.  
  
Dak breathes in before breathing out slowly, lifting his head. I was starting to feel slightly bad for waking him up. He looked rather worn.  
  
“Yes Aldrea?” He was getting up now, stretching as he does. I silently wait for him to return his attention to me before I scuffed a hoof against the ground.  
  
<I will be leaving now… are you sure you do not want to come?> I asked him hopefully. It wasn't often he wouldn't come on a raid with me. But for some reason he seemed unwilling to do so…

Perhaps because it was an obvious trap…

“Aldrea, I don’t say this often but this is an awful idea.” He walks past me, turning his head towards a pile of bark and grass left for us. He carefully plucks a smooth piece of bark, looking it over. “It’s a trap and we both know it. Why are you going anyway? No yeerk would just leave a supply ship alone in the open without guards, you know it.”

I stomped a back hoof, sighing at him. He was protesting me going yesterday when we found out but it sounds like he had given in. <I told you, we need the supplies. Perhaps if we come in smaller numbers we might not be caught. Even if it was a trap, we could trick them.>  
  
“You wouldn’t be caught if you didn’t go.” He was talking through a mouthful of bark, sounding very disapproving. “But I know you’re going to just go anyway.”  
  
<I’m upset you won’t come with me.> My tail lashes against the ground, kicking up rocks and dust as it did.  
  
“Being upset with me won’t make me come. Just get back safely.” Though it was said casually, something about it made me smile a bit more.

<Don’t worry Dak, I’ll be back with the supplies to prove you wrong.> I start walking to the cave entrance but Dak sweeps his tail forward, blocking me with it.  
  
“Eat first.” He grunted, looking out the door at the collection of arn paths in the distance.

<I need to go Dak, Tek and Zer are waiting.> I start stepping over it but he curls his tail slightly around a leg.

“Eat.” He insists, pushing the grass towards me.

<Dak->  
  
“Eat.” With that, he turns away stuffing another piece of bark into his maw, chewing roughly.

<Very well…> I am slightly annoyed that he was bossing me around. But I allowed it… I was hungry anyway.

I step up to the grass he pushed to me before digging my hoof into it. I notice from the corner of my stalk eye that he was looking at me, smiling.

I felt my hearts skip in response, startling me. I guess I couldn’t say I was completely annoyed with him. He was simply looking after me after all.

 

* * *

 

<Tek, you and Zer stay here.> I motion them with my tail towards a spot with a good view of the trees above. I want to make sure that this mission would be completed without any trouble. Something about the yeerks leaving a parked ship full of supplies out in the open like this stank of a trap.  
  
But we needed these supplies badly. The food and weapons would certainly help us. There was only so much we could collect with the yeerks getting closer to our valley day by day.

They dip their heads to me and trot off to the spot I pointed out. Satisfied that I would have some warning if we were to be attacked I trot myself towards the ship. I was focused on the panel already feeling my hearts pounding with excitement. So very close!

I pause for a moment to look around with my stalks, making sure there wasn’t anyone in the trees before stepping up to the panel. The overhang blocked my view of the trees and sky leaving me slightly nervous.  
  
Just as I start to pull wires out of the ship’s hatch panel I hear the sound of a dracon beam going off before a bright flash of red lights up the ship’s metallic sheen.  
  
“TE-” Zer’s voice was cut off as another blast hits them. I had no clue if they survived or not but I wasn’t going to find out. If they’re being shot from above then what chance would I have if I stepped out into the open.  
  
I hear another shot fire off.  
  
The ground next to me lit up for a moment as the dracon fire hits close. I skittered away with wide eyes, realizing that they weren’t in the tree’s they were on the ground!  
  
I turn quickly, stalks searching the tree-line.

Where were they?

Where were they?

There!  
  
But the only reason why I had spotted them was because they were already shooting again. The ground lit up again but as the smoke clears I could smell the distinctive scent of burnt flesh. Stiffening I turn my gaze to where the shot hit, falling silent as it takes a moment for my brain to register that most of my tail was missing, a burning stump where it was.  
  
But then… then the pain came.  
  
<AAAAHHHHH!> I leapt forward! Pain seared through my burned tail. I was panicking as I ran towards the tree line. I knew that I needed to get away, I needed to run. Who ever it was, they were a near perfect shot. It was obvious they had done that to disable me.  
  
There was a flash of green at the corner of my vision before I felt something slam into me. I felt the breath knocked out of me as I slammed into a tree.

My vision darkened for a moment as I dizzily realized that I had just been caught. I had foolishly been caught.  
  
My body slid up against the tree as something presses firmly into my body. I hazily noticed that a blade was being pressed against my side. The pressure in my chest was starting to push air out of me prompting me to suck in more breaths.  
  
“So foolish.” A voice hisses into my ear. I feel a wave of disgust at the feeling of his breath brushing against my cheek.  
  
“So very foolish indeed!” The pressure on my chest becomes unbearable, snapping me out of my daze as I felt my lungs and ribs practically being crushed.

My back legs thrash as he pins me firmly against the tree behind us. I suck in breaths of air only to find myself taking less and less air as his hand presses against my chest. But despite my terror I glare at him. I defied him with kicks against his stomach that made him flinch or grunt in response.  
  
“I am growing rather tired of you Aldrea. When will you just give into me and become my host? Why continue this game?” He hisses, jaws clenching as he sucks in his stomach to avoid getting kicked again.  
  
<I’d rather die!> I snarl, trying to suck in another breath. My mind was swirling as darkness started to slowly take over my vision. I was running out of time and air. I needed to get away!  
  
“You might just do that!” The blade in my side starts digging in, drawing blood.  
  
<AH!> I could feel the blade slicing in between my ribs, digging deeper into my body. My eyes widen as my air-starved mine frantically searches for an answer to get out of here. To get away from him. But there was no way out. No way of getting away from him.

<....> My body went slack as I slowly accept that I was going to die. This is how it was going to end. Dying against some forsaken tree with the breath being pushed out of me by the same creature that killed my father. This was quite the situation.  
  
I laughed weakly, my eyestalks lolling to the sides as my lids grew heavy. How could I had fallen for such a simple trap? How did I let my guard down for even a moment?

“Oh? Laughing in the face of death? How _brave._ ” The yeerk mocked, eyes narrowing. I flinched as the blade was roughly yanked out of my side, blood now spilling over my fur in thick rivelts. I sucked in a breath before letting it out, my mind growing hazy.  
  
I had not snarky answer for him this time.  
  
Esplin clucked, his tongue snapping against the roof of his mouth while his throat warbles. I heard Dak do that before but I have no idea what it meant.  
  
I was going under now, my eyes closing. I could hear the yeerk’s voice but I could barely make out what he was saying.  
  
“What a _pitiful_ creature you are Aldrea. Falling for the trap I set up? I wouldn’t have left that ship alone for any reason. I thought you were smarter than that.” I felt the pressure on my chest release and I suck in a breath and another and another. My fuzzy brain was slowly waking up again now that oxygen was getting to it.  
  
“I don’t really think you’re worth killing at this point.” He digs his foot into my bladeless tail, the end still sizzling from the dracon beam blast it had endured. I only flinch, knowing that if I start to fight again he would just go back to crushing my lungs slowly. “Look at you? Do you really think you could win? Pitiful fool.”  
  
With that he releases me allowing to crumple to the ground, still sucking in air. I turn an eye on him, glaring at him. Hatred burns within my very being.

I hated him, I wanted him dead. But there was something questionable about him letting me live.

Why didn’t he just kill me?  
  
“I think I shall keep you to study. It would be rather interesting to have a live andalite subject for once.” He was grinning down at me, placing a foot on my lower body. I narrowed my eyes letting out a snort in response. “You’re useless without your tail now Aldrea, what else could I use you for? Target practice?”  
  
That would’ve been kinder. I knew what the yeerks did to their ‘test subjects’. There was not a slower death than what he could give me.  
  
“Get up!” He kicks my side, knocking the breath out of me. But I glare up at him in defiance despite me cringing away from the pain.  
  
“I said get up filth.” He kicks me again. Blood began to seep around his sharp claws adding to the blood on the ground. I stayed silent, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of telling me what to do.

“Very well then.” He bends over then grabs my arm and then grabs the base of my tail. With not-too-surprising strength he tosses me around the back of his neck and pins my hind legs together in front of himself. My head was left to hang down, me still weak.  
  
I kept my gaze to the ground, silently fuming at my current prone form. It was like I was some weak female now, not the warrior I had been these months. This was not a situation fit for me but here I was… being dragged off to the heart of yeerk territory.

As he carries me off I take a moment to reflect on what had happened before my capture. Everything was apparently a trap and yet I still fell for it. But how could a single yeerk pull this off so well? How?  
  
I suspiciously glance over at the controller. He looked at me from the corner of his eye as he walked, sneering a bit. I flare my nostrils while looking away.

I am feeling disgust that he would even be thinking of sparing my life. Weren't yeerks supposed to be ruthless? Were they not supposed to kill those who they could not use?

This was the exact opposite of that. This yeerk was far too odd in my opinion.

I noticed the forest becoming thinner and thinner. I also notice several yeerks leering down at me as they stopped to stare while we headed deeper into yeerk territory. I could feel myself burning under my fur in indignation.  
  
“Sub-Visser 17, I thought you were crazy when you said you were going to catch her!” I hear a thunk behind us. I turn a stalk to stare at the hork bajir-controller coming up behind us.

“I told you I would.” I could feel the sub-visser digging his claws into my hide, making me flinch. Something was upsetting him or perhaps making him nervous. But why?  
  
“But not in one piece.” The new controller was looking at my tail, face twisting into a smirk. I glared hatefully at him, daring him to say something about it.  
  
“She’s still useful.” He replies, his claws digging in further, making me flinch.  
  
“Oh? How?” The other controller was frowning slightly.  
  
“Experimentation, this is the first live andalite we’ve caught. Imagine what we could learn.” Sub-Visser 17 was sounding irritated now, mouth corners twitching.  
  
“You better tell the Visser then, I’m sure he would _love_ to hear what you’re planning on doing with a live andalite.” The controller laughs as he walks off and climbs up the nearest tree to a platform above.  
  
“Fool…” Sub-Visser 17 grumbles, mouth opened slightly to reveal his teeth.  
  
<You better tell the Visser.> I mock, eyes curling into a smirk. I flinch heavily as his claws dug into me again, drawing more blood. I was starting to wonder how many scars I would get after this. He knew I could morph but he didn’t know it could heal wounds. There was no way I can heal myself until I can get away. I wouldn’t want to risk being infested.

“I would be silent if I was you _Aldrea.”_ He glares at me from the corner of his eye mouth corner wrinkling slightly.

<No.> I was going to defy him even in the simplest of ways. He could either knock me out or kill me but he certainly wasn’t going to silence me. <You might have caught me but that doesn’t mean I will submit my will to filth like you.>  
  
He digs his claws in down to the bottom, his glare turning to a look of anger. He hisses something through his mouth though I found myself unable to understand.  
  
I take a moment to feel satisfaction, feeling like I had won this fight. But that feeling quickly turned to unease as he continues to carry me on through this yeerk facility. I noticed that he was taking me to a large metal building.  
  
<Where are we going?> I asked squirming a bit as he doesn’t take out his claws.  
  
“I’m taking you to a holding cell. I can’t be having you roaming around.” He removes his claws making me flinch again. I felt more blood oozing over my already bloodstained pelt.  
  
<They will come find me.> I taunt him again, knowing that they would probably at least try to rescue me. Dak probably wouldn’t even wait to come and try to get me.  
  
“That seer? What was his name? Dapsen?” He snorts in amusement at his poor attempt at humor. “I would like to see him try Aldrea.”  
  
<He will and when he does, we’ll kill you.> I lift my chin meeting his gaze with my own.

 

“He won’t. I will be making sure of that Aldrea.” I shivered slightly, noticing how grim his voice sounded. I also noticed that he was pulling me closer almost as if he was… unwilling to let me go.  
  
I fall silent, wondering what was going through his yeerk’s mind. First not infesting me, even for just information simply because I had no tail. Secondly, he was going to experiment on me? But why would he do that? Wasn’t he just a soldier, not a scientist?

The doors slides open and we entered the facility, both of us silent. There weren’t many controllers roaming around these halls and it was surprisingly silent. I was a bit surprised considering this might’ve been just a prison or such.

“Here is where you will be staying Aldrea.” He kicks a button at a pair of doors and then suddenly pulls me off of his shoulders. He then takes a few steps into the dim, dark room and unceremoniously dumps me on the floor.

The air is knocked out of me, making me huff, as I hit the floor. I managed to collect myself enough to glare at him.

He stares back down at me, mouth turned to a frown. “Try not to injure yourself any further while I am gone. I’d hate to infest you while you’re half dead.>

Silently he turns away, closing the door behind himself as he leaves. I felt a shiver of unease run down my spine. Why did he sound so sure he would be infesting me?  
  
I slowly get to my hooves, flinching at my stinging wounds. I take a moment to assess my damage before breathing out slowly. If left long enough they’ll heal into scars, which was only slightly comforting. Thanks to the injections they gave us as children, the chances of infection setting in was low.

It still stung quite a bit and I was surprised that I didn’t die from blood loss. But at least I was alive. But whether it was good or bad, I didn’t know.  
  
I now turned my attention to my new room, making note that there was a toilet made for a hork bajir in one corner and nothing else. Well at least they had the sense to not have their prisoners urinating and defecating on their floors.

How comforting.

I snorted at myself before slowly walking around the room, ignoring the unease at being in an enclosed space. All I could do was pace around, waiting for him to return. Or at least someone to return.  
  
I knew Dak would be coming for me but I didn’t know when. It could be awhile before he gathers up enough troops to actually do a raid. There wasn’t an option for me to try to run away without being killed. All I could hope was that they wouldn’t infest me.  
  
I stopped at a wall, taking a moment to stare at my bladeless tail wondering if this would even stop them. They could easily infest me for information… That would be the end of the free hork-bajir if they obtained it.  
  
I hunch over, realizing that I had doomed everyone. Once they knew…  
  
There was no way they wouldn’t infest me first. They needed to know where we were hiding out. They had an enemy captured and I knew they would be using me to their advantage. What they did afterwords with me remains to be seen.

Minutes turned to two hours as I waited for them to come to get me  
  
The sound of the door opening made my hearts leap for a moment before I snapped my gaze to it. Standing in the doorway was a pair of hork-bajir controllers staring me down with a sneer on their faces.

“Come on andalite.” The female points her weapon towards me, motioning with her head for me to follow them out. I glare at them defiantly, unmoving.

The one that spoke to me gives her weapon to her partner. She then walks to me and roughly grabbing me by my stalk just as I start backing up. I flinch away but the pain of my stalk being pulled made me tremble. My tail whips forward but with half of it missing, it certainly didn’t get far.  
  
“We have been ordered to bring you, even if we have to drag you.” I did not miss that sadistic glint in the controller’s eye as she looked down upon me. I could feel her hand tightening around my stalk, forcing me to close it as the nerves are pinched.  
  
She walks backwards, dragging me along. It only took a couple of steps before I began walking faster, looking to ease the pain. This causes her to release me with a laugh.  
  
“Good andalite.” She laughs again before turning around. She grabs her dracon beam from the other controller before walking out. I knew that if I defied them again I would probably have my stalk more than just pulled.

With a heavy, exaggerated sigh, I follow after them. I allow my stump of a tail to drag along the ground as I went, pouting like some child. Though I was pouting on the outside I was terrified internally.  
  
I knew my fate was just minutes away and what it would be was to be seen. All I could hope that it would be a swift death.

We enter a room just a few hallways away. I was greeted with the sight of Sub-Visser 17 standing beside a rather scarred hork-bajir controller, which I assume was the Visser considering the Sub-Visser’s stiff posture.  
  
“Ah good, grab her and take her to the pool. Let’s get this over with quickly.” The scarred controller motions towards the pool. My hearts sank as both of them grab my arms, preparing to drag me over.

I dug in my hooves as I pull back, eyes widening. I lift my tail to fight but the sickening realization that it didn’t have a blade to strike them with washes over me.

I was defenseless in a room full of yeerk scum about to be infested. I would lose control of my body… they will know everything!

They will know our base location! They will come for them! Kill them all!

I had to fight!  
  
<NO!> My hooves screech on the floor as I continue to try to stop them from pulling me to the pool. <NO, NO, NO.>

Horror washes over me as they shove me forward, forcing me on my knees. I stare into the murky pool, nostrils flaring as I breathed in the scent of it. Disgustingly mold-like smell.

But where is the yeerk? I couldn’t see the telltale signs of a yeerk swimming in there. No it was empty! But why?!

“Sub-Visser, you may have the honors of infesting this filth.” I turned a stalk towards Sub-Visser 17, who was walking to me with barely concealed excitement.  
  
I pull my head up, pushing up with my knees in a weak attempt to break away from my captors. But an andalite female was no match for two adult hork-bajir. It was a futile effort that only got me them laughing at me.  
  
One of the hork-bajir controllers moved from me, walking to the Sub-visser’s side. The one still holding me plants a foot on my back and forces my upper body down while clutching my head, kneeling down with me.  
  
The sub-visser kneels down by the pool, grinning with anticipation. He turns his head towards the pool while his controller grabs his arms, obviously preparing to subdue his host once he leaves him.  
  
I watch with silent horror as I stared into the eyes of my soon-to-be slaver. He stares into my own, still smirking.  
  
There was a moment of silence before his body goes slack, twitching slightly. It was a few minutes before something comes pushing out of his ear… the yeerk.

With a wet plop, it drops into the water just as the hork-bajir suddenly yanks himself away. I the last thing I saw before my head was thrust under the surface was his horror as our eyes met once last time.  
  
My stomachs rolled as I submerge under the lead-colored water. I suck in a bit of it but close my nostrils. I knew even if I decide to try to drown myself it wouldn’t work, the yeerk would be faster than my death.  
  
I stiffen as I felt something oddly soft gently nudging my ear. My legs kick out as it begins pressing itself into my ear. I attempted to shake my head to move it away from me but with the hork-bajir holding me down I couldn’t.

All I could do was accept it. Accept it all.

<Nooo, noooo…> I moan in horror as it begins pushing itself along, numbing my ear against the pain. I could only feel a slight tingle as it moves along.  
  
There was a moment of silence before suddenly I felt a spark of energy. A laugh echoes through my mind before I felt my limbs lock up.  
  
< _Hello Andalite! > _

A rush of images began to flood my mind. Blindness, the joy of seeing for the first time, the obsession over my people, the joy of getting a hork bajir body, seeing me…  
  
My stomachs rolled as I realized that I was being flooded with the yeerk’s memories. The memories of his life but it was fragmented, I knew it was missing parts. Parts that he didn’t want me to see.  
  
< _No! No… > _ I fall silent, realizing that I could no longer speak. I could no longer move. The yeerk had control over me.  
  
I was tempted to fight back-

< _Fighting me is useless Aldrea, you know this._ > I was in shock for a moment but once again despair washes over me. He was reading my thoughts!  
  
< _You know me now Aldrea and I know you… Well I will when I tap into your memories. > _ He sounds smug… well actually he _feels_ like he was smug too. He was allowing me to feel his emotions just as he was feeling mine.

This creature’s name was Esplin 9466… my new slaver.  
  
I would’ve thrown up if I could.

< _Ah! This is so much better! > _I realize that he was pulling my head out of the sulp niar, blinking my eyes open. He turns a stalk one way then the other stalk another way while using my main eyes to look between the controllers around us.

< _Oh ow! > _ He turned a stalk to look at my sides, still matted with blood. < _I need  to heal. Oh! That stings! > _

He was the one who did it after all… not like he should be surprised.

< _I’m not. > _ He is annoyed for a moment but that is quickly swept away by his happiness.  
  
< _An andalite body! All mine! All mine! > _He gleefully chuckles, getting me to my hooves. I stayed silent, quietly stewing in my own emotions. I knew that even if I fought back there was no chance of being freed. It was a waste of energy.

< _Giving in already? > _He was looking to the Visser… Visser Nine.

I am upset by this, realizing that I was remembering his own memories. I didn’t want to know this scum… this… _creature._  
  
“Sub-Visser 17, I didn’t tell you to infest her for your own amusement. I need to know what she knows.” The visser was glowering at me… no him. He didn’t care much about me personally, only Esplin and my knowledge.

<Yes, yes I’ll get right on that.> I was feeling both startled and a bit ill. It was… odd hearing my voice but without me actually talking. It was beyond disgusting… it was beyond bizarre.

I hated it.

< _Ah… > _ I was feeling Esplin’s shock as he starts digging through my memories. The amount of disgust and helplessness was beyond what I could handle. I wanted to die so bad but I couldn’t. He wouldn’t allow me to.  
  
< _You could heal yourself?! You… this whole time you could’ve morphed back your tail! You didn’t because you thought that would spare you from being infested? Ha! Foolish little andalite girl. So very foolish indeed! > _ Esplin laughs mockingly at me. I was feeling sick that he has found out. It was awful. There was nothing I could do about it.  
  
But for a moment I could feel his unease. What?

< _Giving up already as well? I thought you would fight me more. This is so very disappointing Aldrea. I’m almost sad. > _ He was sneering at me. How cruel!  
  
< _Oh so_ **_that's_ ** _where you’ve been hiding. > _ He focuses on Visser Nine, smiling slightly with my own eyes as well.  
  
<They are hiding in a valley not too far from here. They were right next to us this whole time.> He laughs my own laugh… but it somehow felt colder, more sadistic.

“Good, now that you’ve extracted the information we needed you are free to leave the andalite. We will be disposing of her promptly.” Visser Nine motions back towards the pool. I could feel panic rising within Esplin. I could feel my body stiffening as well in reaction to it.  
  
< _Why are you so afraid? > _I jokingly mocked him, feeling slightly joyful that my hell would end soon.

< _I’m not giving you up! You’re mine! Mine, mine, mine! > _ A wave of obsessiveness washes over me, startling me but not surprising me. He was quite ‘the andalite lover’ as a rather smart yeerk had told him before.  
  
< _SILENCE. > _I cringe within my own mind at his roar. I wasn’t expecting it to be so loud!

< _They don’t believe me about your morphing Aldrea. They never did… If I morph now I could possibly prove them wrong! Yes, then I’ll get to keep you! You’ll be mine my dear andalite! Yes you will be! Yes! > _ He was practically oozing self-satisfaction over my brain.  
  
But what if the Visser decided that he wanted my body instead of Esplin? He did just allow him to infest me. He probably had the power to take me away from him as well.

I had no idea what that would entail for me… my people would certainly be making a mockery of me. Especially if they found out I had the ability to morph. I would be a target for both death and even more abuse.  
  
< _Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_ > I could feel his panic rising again for a moment before his feelings were cut off. I realized that he was panicking now. He probably realizes that I was most likely right.

Who wouldn’t want a body that could not only morph but also heal itself in the process…?

It was disgustingly odd to think of myself as just a ‘body’. But that what I was to them now. A body to be used by them.

“Esplin, why are you hesitating? Leave the andalite now.” The Visser was starting to look a bit suspicious now, eyes narrowing at Esplin.  
  
<Sir, I would like to keep her. Not as my host but as something else.> I could feel satisfaction oozing all over me again.  
  
< _You won’t get away that easy! > _He gloats gleefully. He’s already thinking he’s won!

“Something else?” The Visser’s nostrils flared for a moment, examining me up and down.

<Yes sir, I would like to keep her as a slave. I can think of nothing more degrading, besides being a host, for an andalite to be.> I was feeling rage slowly boiling up inside of me.

A _slave?!_

< _DISGUSTING. > _ I roar, my anger boiling over rather quickly. Of all things! Of all _things._

I knew that was the reaction he wants from me but I couldn’t keep quiet. What use would a yeerk have for a slave? Especially an andalite slave? What use would I be to him.

I couldn’t help the uncontrolled hatred that floods from me to him. I hadn’t wanted him dead more than I did right then and there.

But the yeerk was amused, pleased, and happy. He thought he had won.

“That is self-indulgent Sub-Visser 17, why should I allow this?” The Visser narrows his eyes at us.

<Who wouldn’t want to humiliate an andalite? I believe it would be rather amusing for a while to have an andalite serve under a yeerk.> He motions towards my body, tipping his head to the side. The Visser was looking a bit thoughtful as he looks at us.

The silence was making me uncomfortable. What was he thinking? He seriously wasn’t...

He was seriously thinking about it?!

< _I win Aldrea, you’re mine! Mine forever! > _ He gleefully laughs, wrapping me up in his own joy. I couldn’t help the wave of disgust that came in response. It didn’t dampen his joy.  
  
“Both of you, leave. Bring his host with you, we’ll be needing it soon.” He motions to the two who had silently been waiting near by. Though as Esplin turns a stalk towards them, it was hard to miss the shock over their faces.

  
Quickly they left.

The Visser shuffles his feet for a moment, lifting his chin.

“I don’t normally allow this considering it’s incredibly indulgent but you had helped greatly. I could see a promotion in your future Sub-Visser 17. With that I will allow you to keep an andalite slave.”

Esplin’s joy was almost overwhelming. The emotions that flooded into me was pure joy.

"Anyway, it will be amusing as you had said." He was grinning now. 

<Thank you sir.> He bows to him slightly, barely concealing his joy. I knew he would be smiling like an absolute fool if he knew that he wouldn’t get in trouble for it.

But my despair deepened even more. I might not be infested like the others but that doesn’t mean I would be truely free. No, now I was lower than a host really. Just a slave… a toy to this creature.  
  
< _Now, now Aldrea you’re more than just that. You are very special! An andalite slave! You are so very special! > _ The way he spoke to me made me utterly sick. I certainly wasn’t going to be happy to be serving under some yeerk filth.  
  
< _You’ll change you’re mind Aldrea. I’m sure one day you’ll never believe that you didn’t like serving me. > _He was watching the hork-bajir step into the room, dragging his host back in who was fighting them. Though it was weak, almost like he had given up already. My stomachs turn at the sight.

< _You’re mine now Aldrea, and you’ll forever be mine. > _Another wave of delight washes over me as he walks us to the pool again.

I knew that there was no getting away. Even as Esplin left my head, my despair didn’t wane. Now not only will they attack our base, everyone might be killed as well. There would be no one coming for me…

Not even Dak…

I didn’t move from the pool, even as my head was pulled above the surface, now free of Esplin, I didn’t rejoice.

I would never be seeing Dak again. A deep ache within my hearts made it hard to even move. I felt like my world was darkening, becoming less at the thought of losing him.

If only I hadn’t left on that mission then I would be with him, talking strategies and just simply passing time with him. I wouldn’t have had a filthy yeerk inside of me… I wouldn’t be a slave.  
  
Dak…

The image of him looking down at me, smiling almost sadly, played through my mind. The ache within my hearts nearly became unbearable. I wanted him with me…

To me not only he is a friend but he was sense of safety, a sense of warmth… a sense of home on this war torn planet. He was everything comforting to me.

Surprise made me shiver as I realize something that I am realizing too late. I had denied it so many times but it was all so clear to me…

I believe I was in love with Dak.

My hearts clench as I felt sadness rush over me, the pain almost becoming unbearable.

I would never be seeing him again.

I noticed movement beside me, waking me up from my daze.

It's the Sub-Visser.

He grabs my arm before pulling me up, a sneer crossing over his face. Within moments I felt rage burn through me.

This was his fault! It was all his fault! He was the reason why I was here in the first place. This utter scum had taken everything away from me.  
  
<DON’T TOUCH ME.> I roared, yanking my arm away from him, ignoring the pain of his claws slicing through my flesh.

“Ah!” He was more amused than shocked as he gazes down at me. “There’s that fight! Just as I remembered you being."  
  
<Yeerk _scum. YOU UTTER SCUM. > _I raise my bladeless tail, eyes burning with hatred as I look at him. I was half-tempted to morph to kill him but that would take too long. He would have me pinned before I even get halfway.

He shakes his head at me, stepping towards me. I look up at him, eyes meeting his own. I wasn’t going to be intimidated but this scum!

“That’s what I like about you, you like to fight when it’s pointless. It’ll be enjoyable slowly training you into a perfect slave.” He roughly grabs my stalk, yanking. I tip my head back, pain making my headache.  
  
“I will make you submit to me Aldrea. You are mine to rule.” He grabs my cheeks in between his clawed fingers, digging them in. “One day I will get my andalite host but for now, you will be my test subject. I want the best way to make my host submit and using you will be perfect practice.”

That was the moment when my true hell started.

END OF CHAPTER


	2. Dak Hamee

I settle outside on the ledge just outside of Aldrea and I’s domicile, looking down at the planet’s core quietly. I don’t know what time it is since there was no sun and no moon down here. Only the planet’s core illuminating our home.

But I could guess that she has been gone for a half a day since the watch had changed shifts twice now.

I’m worrying about Aldrea, wondering why she was so foolish enough to go into such an obvious trap. After all I would think she had more intelligence than that.  
  
But who knew what her plan is. I just needed to trust that she knows what she’s doing.

I sigh, rubbing my beak into my hands. I just need to trust her. She's a smart girl, albeit prideful. But she knows what she’s doing… at least I only hope she does.  
  
A shadow falls over me and I look to see Jagil leaning over me, a smile spread across his face. I get to my feet, greeting my old friend with a smile of my own.   
  
“Dak sighs too much.” Jagil tips his head at me, still smiling.   
  
“I do? I don’t think I’ve quite noticed.” I cross my arms over my chest, carefully avoiding sticking myself with my own blades. Now what could Jagil want?

  
“Dak sighs a lot when andalite is gone.” I could feel my hearts leap slightly at his words but I manage to keep my expression neutral. Just how observant was my friend?   
  
“I worry about her, just like I do all my friends.” I carefully reply, suspicious about where this was going. I hope he wasn’t about to say what I think he might be sayin.

“You sigh a lot. Jagil think you miss andalite.” He's grinning now as if he had said something profound. I didn't need him to tell me that. I already knew.  
  
“Jagil is there something you came for or are you just here to tease me?” I settle back on my tail, looking at my friend in the eyes. He seems to consider for a moment before he straightens up, blinking.  
  
So he hadn’t just come to tease me.  
  
“Lell come to Jagil, tell Jagil ‘Jagil, yeerks busy, very busy’.” He pauses for a moment, looking like he was trying to think of something. But he probably was just getting tired of talking. “Jagil say ‘watch yeerks Lell, tell Jagil if ships fly’. Lell comes to Jagil again say ‘Jagil, ships fly! Lots of ships fly!’”

This captures my interest greatly and at the same time, fills me with dread. Why were they sending so many ships out? There was certainly no way the andalites have come. They said the fleet wouldn’t be here for another few months.

No, there’s something else going on.  
  
“Jagil, listen to me carefully, go out and keep watching them. If they do anything else, then come back and tell me.” I need to make sure, I just need to know. There wasn’t much that could make the yeerks send so many ships at once. Something _had_ to have upset them.  
  
My thoughts slowly drift to Aldrea for a moment but I quickly wave them away. No, they wouldn’t send a number of ships after just her. There is something bigger going on.   
  
Jagil nods before bounding off, waving to a pair of hork-bajir that are waiting on the bridge across from us. I watch them head up the path and out of sight. But just as they disappear over the lip of the crevice, I begin to hear an odd rumbling just above the thick fog.   
  
I tip my head back, wondering for a moment what it could possibly be. It was like a waterfall or perhaps someone banging on the side of a slightly hollow tree.

But as it got louder and louder, cold horror began to fill me.

There was no mistaking it… those were the sound of a ship engines.   
  
I begin to back away, sucking in a breath as I start running to the higher platforms.  
  
They couldn’t have…

They...  
  
“YEERKS!”   
  
That was the only warning we got before they descend upon us, bringing fire with them.

* * *

 

 

I gaze around my bedraggled group, sighing quietly as I did. It wasn’t hard to see the injuries most of my people had sustained in the attack. There were far more injured and dead than we could reasonably handle.

I haven’t had a chance to see who had died and who was injured. I didn’t even know if Jagil was alive. This was certainly a situation to be in.  
  
I bury my snout into my hands, sighing heavily.

They came out of nowhere, coming down from the mists. We barely had time to even gather ourselves before they began destroying homes and pathways, cutting off exits, storming across bridges.

They, the yeerks, had come for us.

But that had been two days ago...

I close my eyes for a moment, breathing in the stuffy air of this valley trying to figure out where to go next. There were not many places for us to hide and we didn’t have enough to defend ourselves if we were attacked again. No, we would need to hide but where?

“Dak?” I open my eyes, looking up at a female with a small huff of annoyance. I could recognize Nerr from anywhere. She was the only female who towered over the rest of her fellows, including me.

“Yes Nerr?” I get up from my place on the ground, wincing from a wound on my leg. I suck in a breath trying to hide my pain.  
  
“Need bark. Many Hork-Bajir hungry.” She was motioning to the rest of the group with a hand, looking at me with concern.

“Then get bark, just stay out of sight as normal.” I limp forward, looking around for someone healthy enough to go with her. I knew that we had used up the last of the rations we brought but I hadn’t thought of sending a few out to fetch more. I was more afraid of losing more of my people.

 “Bring Kett and Hep with you. I’m sure they’re healthy enough to climb trees.” I glance over at the two young hork-bajir who are leaning down towards each other looking as if they were speaking. But a closer look reveals they were actually dozing.  
  
Nerr dips her head and bounds off to the two. I take a moment to watch her wake the pair and began quietly speaking softly to them, motioning upwards. They look between each other before wearily getting to their feet, stretching as they did.

I follow them with my gaze until they disappear into the mist above. Now all I can do is hope they come back alive and with supplies.

Groaning, I settle down again, rubbing my leg. The wound was already healing but it still hurt. The slash that controller had inflicted upon me was deep in the muscle. I was surprised I managed to get away with such an injury.

I sigh looking around again, wondering what to do next. Aldrea normally would be the one to say but she wasn’t here.

In fact I hadn’t seen her since she left for that mission. I knew that she was more than likely hiding out, especially after we were attacked but i wished she would return. I needed her…

I close my eyes, frowning at myself.  
  
No I didn’t need her, I just wanted her here. I am capable of forming a plan myself. I would feel much better having a second opinion on my decision. Despite her egotistical nature and revenge hungry ways, she was brilliant… and beautiful.

But it was more than just her advice that I want. I want her presence with me as well.

This longing was something I’ve always felt when she was absent. But now… now it seems stronger than before.  
  
I knew what it was but I also knew that I shouldn’t be feeling like this. Aldrea told me that species only paired up and mated with their own, not others. But I myself, a simple hork-bajir in terms of romance, wanted to be paired up with her. I wanted her as my mate, pure and simple.

I knew she wouldn’t accept me like that.

I knew she accepts me as a friend but still I long for more from her. Why couldn’t I have simply taken a female from my own kind instead of chasing after a female of another?

Things would be so much simpler if this species barrier wasn’t there.

I open my eyes again, looking up at the thick mist wondering. Could we really be together if we didn't worry about species?

“DAK, DAK.” My attention focuses on the pair I sent out with Nerr earlier. Their faces held a wild, shocked look as they ran towards me.  
  
I was on my feet within moments, wincing at the pain that shot up my leg. My first thought is that Nerr had been either killed or captured. My hearts pound furiously, as I am wondering how many more we were going to lose. At this rate we’ll be wiped out before the andalites even get here!  
  
“Dak, Aldrea!” Hep comes to a skidding stop in front of me, panting heavily. She was looking up at me with horror in her eyes as her partner came up beside her, trembling a bit as she rubs her face.

“Yes, what about her?” My hearts sank, I knew that this wasn’t going to be good. It was never good.

“Yeerk has her!” Kett cuts in before Hep could answer, looking at me with an agitated expression.

I felt the world rock under me as I stood there, staring silently down at them. At first, I felt nothing. Not shock, not terror, not even sadness.

It was like all of my feelings had been sucked out of me with her words. Whether it was shock or something else, I had never felt so… calm.  
  
“Where?” I breathe out slowly, feeling my limbs starting to tremble ever so slightly. I'm forcing myself to stay calm. I couldn't panic in front of them.

Sickness was rising within myself with each second that passed. My mind was scrambling, trying to figure out why she had been captured. Why? She was always so careful! Why did she-

The attack suddenly made sense. The yeerks had captured Aldrea, infested her and took the information from her.

They took her and infested her, forcing one of their kind into her ear.

They've infested her...  
  
I clutch my hands together, nails digging into my rough flesh, drawing blood. I'm trying to keep calm, trying to stop myself from crumbling.  
  
“Hep show!” Without even waiting for me to confirm I was going to follow her, the young female runs off with her friend by her side. I sucked air through my beak before running after them at a mad dash. It didn’t take me long to catch up to the younger females.

It has finally happened… Aldrea had been captured by those vile parasites.

We broke out of the mist and in a flurry of movement, we scramble up the nearest tree and ran.  
  
Nerr came into view far faster than I had liked her to have. She is crouching down in a group of intertwined branches. I hop across the gap between us before crouching down beside her.   
  
I didn’t miss the look of pity she was giving me as she pushes aside the branches to reveal a horrendous sight.

  
Aldrea had been tied between a pair of poles by the throat, her arms tied against her body. The many wounds that littered her body was horrendous. And her tail…

What had they done to you Aldrea?

I glance around at the ground, my stomachs turning with disgust. Which parasite had done this to her? It was obvious that either she was infested and her yeerk was being punished or she wasn’t and…  
  
I couldn’t see a single yeerk lurking around her but that didn’t mean they weren’t around. It felt so much like a trap, like they had set her up like this to bait us. But yet…  
  
Nerr grabs my shoulder gently, pulling me back just as I start to move to climb down.  
  
“Dak.” She says quietly, shaking her head at me as she gazes at me with pity. I shrug her hand away, eyes focusing blearily on Aldrea’s form.

She just looks… so weak.

So very much unlike herself. She was normally delicate looking but this…. this was just awful.

I could feel myself starting to tremble as I reach out a hand, unable to look away from the horrendous sight. I almost hoped that she had died so that she wouldn’t suffer. But she hadn’t, I could see her back legs trembling every few moments.

“Aldrea… Why didn’t you just liste-” I clamp my mouth close, pulling my hand back. I want to save her so badly. But I couldn’t… not with so much at stake.   
  
I’m sorry Aldrea...   
  
“Dak help?” Kett looks over my shoulder, eyes wide. I could feel the tension coming from her as she digs her claws in.

“Dak don’t help.” I reply softly. I lower my head knowing that if I were to die trying to save her then my people would be left without a leader. I care about her so much but my duties to my people…  
  
Why did things have to be so complicated?

“Dak help!” Hep pushes me slightly, but barely budges me. I knew she was trying to spur me into action, but it didn’t work. If I went out there…

“Aldrea!” I jerk my head to the right, eyes narrowing. A hork-bajir controller and a pair of Gedds are walking to her now. I’m glad I didn’t just go to save her.   
  
Aldrea’s head jerks up and she focuses all four eyes on the controller. I knew she was saying something but it was obvious she was keeping it private. Judging by her bristling stance, she wasn’t too happy to see them.   
  
“Now, now Aldrea. Do you really want to spend more time here? Naughty andalites who don’t obey their masters get to starve.” My claws unconsciously dug into the wood. What filth! What disgusting utter filth!   
  
Aldrea, what did he do to you?   
  
Beside me Nerr shifts uncomfortably, glancing at me a few times as if she was hoping I would say something. But I couldn’t speak… I just couldn’t. It was like something had my mouth clamped shut.   
  
“Still got some fight in you? Ha!” He motions towards one of the Gedds, snatching up something they were holding. I felt my hearts stop as I recognize that he has a dracon beam. My muscles tensed and I leaned forward, almost ready to jump off the branch.

Nerr holds me back again, shaking her head.

  
“To think you really are this strong willed… it’s a pity.” He’s turning the dracon beam in his hands, smirking. I couldn’t see Aldrea’s expression but her posture is stiffening slightly.  
  
My horror deepened as he lifts the dracon beam up, twisting the settings.   
  
<Yeerk scum, if you really think I will give in then you’re are very mistaken. I’d rather _die_ than to give in to you.>  Her voice practically oozes hatred as she speaks. I notice the controller laughing slightly now, mocking her.

“I believe it’s time to try something else then Aldrea.” They pull up their weapon, aiming it at her face. My hearts nearly stop as I realize what was about to happen.

No! They were going to kill her! No, no, no, no!  
  
“ALDREA!” I screech, leaping forward without thinking. In the end, I couldn’t hold myself back. I couldn’t watch her die. I couldn’t...  
  
A stalk snaps in my direction, it’s gaze filling with surprise and for a moment, just a moment, happiness.

  
The controller’s head whips around to look at me, eyes widening ever so slightly.   
  
“Seer!” The controller roars, spinning around with the weapon in hand. Just as I hit the ground, he levels it at me, getting ready to fire.   
  
I puff myself up as I glare at him, raising my wrist blades in preparation to fight.


	3. Esplin 9466

“Aldrea do you really have to keep doing this?” I sigh as I look upon the small female who is hunched with her back to a corner, glowering at me. Her arms wrap around her body, gently cradling her hurt arm as her bladeless tail curls around her front legs.  
  
I carefully look over her body, noting the scars and missing patches of fur with a distant sigh. She looked a lot worse a day ago though. So there was progress.

The ointments I had been using for her wounds worked wonderfully, especially considering they weren’t exactly like they were described in the logs on the andalite ships we got. But at least the scarring will be minimal once she’s healed.

A day has only passed after all, so I knew it still needed time.  
  
<Do not touch me, you filthy parasite.> She cringes away from me as I step closer, leaning over her prone form. Ah, she is always so lovely but also annoyingly defiant as well. I was going to enjoy tempering her to my tastes.  
  
I didn’t want to completely break her in, make her completely obedient to me. No, I want her to keep that fight but not this much of it. Just enough to make her interesting without being annoying as well. I want her to serve me almost willingly by her own choice. But it was going to be hard…  
  
I know of the hork-bajir seer and her memories of him. She looked upon him with fondness, the same fondness I want her to feel for me. I want her to _adore_ me as her master, her _owner._ I knew the more she wanted to be with me the more willingly she would serve.

But Dak… that seer is getting in my way. I knew for as long as she kept him in her thoughts I wouldn’t be able to get what I wanted. I didn’t understand why she felt so fond of him but I knew that it was going to stop me from my goal.  
  
If only I could take him as my host. It would make it simpler for her to associate me with affection.

But he more than likely died during our raid of the valley that was decimated by us. The attack _I_ led might I add with some pride.  


I should’ve hunted him down and forced him to become my host. The pleasure of having both the andalite and her hork-bajir pet would be the ultimate victory. I already have a promotion on the horizon after capturing her, why not make it even sweeter?  
  
“Aldrea stop that, you know that hurts you so why do you do it?” I sighed, noticing that she was burying her hoof into the ground, scrapping it dull. I knew from her memories that she did this often as a child and it caused her a great deal of pain after awhile.

Her head snaps up, shock crossing her face. Suddenly her gaze darkens back to that hateful look of her’s.  
  
<Don’t you _dare_ act like you care. You filth! You _scum! > _ Hatred burns deep within her eyes as she looks up at me with a look of disgust. I didn’t get a chance to react as her tail suddenly slams into my gut, sending me stumbling back onto my tail.  
  
I huff as my tail catches me. I give myself a moment to collect myself as anger bubbles inside of me. No, I wasn’t going to explode this time. Not yet at least.

Just be patient Esplin, just be patient for a moment longer. _Then_ she will feel the sting of your blade if she defies you again.  


“Aldrea, how do you expect me-” I get to my feet, drawing myself to full height as I gaze down at her, corner of my mouth twitching ever so slightly. I’m _barely_ holding in my rage. “-to keep calm if you keep doing this? You know what I could do once my patience runs out. Do you _really_ want that?”  
  
I was trying to appeal to her intelligent side but it would seem her savage side was answering for her.

  
<Then kill me already yeerk.> She snips, getting to her hooves now as she wraps her arms around herself. <Just get it over with and _kill_ me. >  
  
“No Aldrea, I won’t kill you. But I’ll make you wish you had died.” I reach down and roughly grab her arm. I could feel my nails easily sinking into her flesh. Ah, it’s so soft unlike a hork-bajir’s.

  
I could see the pain cross her face as I force her towards me. She stumbles for a moment before getting enough sense to walk with me. She is looking as if she was torn between defying me and following my orders. I almost sneer at the thought.

Perhaps pain might be exactly what I need to control her.

I yank her to another wall and shove her into it, pinning her arms against her sides as I lean down. I made sure to make my presence as intimidating as I could. I breathe heavily into her face, making her flinch ever so slightly away.

But yet that look of defiance never left her gaze.  
  
“You truly are quite the willful one aren’t you Aldrea?” I lift a hand, gently placing it on her chest. Slowly I trail my claws down her chest, enjoying the shiver that rushes through prone form. Her breath hitches as she twitches a back leg.  
  
My fingers lightly brush over her twitching abdomen making her squirm even more. I could see one of her stalks following my hand carefully. I was surprised by how sensitive she was to my touch. Pleased by it even.  
  
I came to a stop squeezing the muscled space between her front legs.  
  
Her eyes widened for a moment as she breathes out. I notice her shoving down that look of fear, hiding it away from me.  
  
One of her hearts were right under my hand. With one squeeze I could dig into her flesh and tear it off, revealing her heart just behind her chest bone.  
  
But I wasn’t going to, she had far too many scars for my liking already.

“Aldrea, you do know that you’re not going to win this little battle of wills right? One way or another, I’m going to make you serve me as your master.” I gaze down at her, breathing out slowly. For some reason having her squirming like this under my hands was… exciting. Like I had a moment of control.

She stays silent as she gazes up at me.

“Aldrea, answer me.” I press my hand firmly into the spot, threatening to cut it open. She huffs quietly through her nose but adverts her gaze now. I was starting to quickly lose my patience with her.  
  
I grab her cheeks between my fingers of my other hand and force her to look at me in the eyes. Her main eyes narrow before her nostrils flare, revealing the light blue insides. But she still refuses to answer me.  
  
“Fine!” I shove her into the wall with my hand that was on her lower chest, pressing down on her upper chest. For a moment I admire how lovely and soft her fur was under my hand before raising a wrist blade to one of her stalks.  
  
“How about this? Would you rather me do this? Remove bits and pieces of you?” I snarl as I follow her stalk as she twitches it away, trying to keep it out from under my blade. For just a moment fear flashes deep in her eyes.  
  
<Kill me already yeerk.> She squirms under my hand, hooves clicking on the metal floor. I could tell that she was becoming quite anxious.  
  
“No.” Satisfying to have her at least answer me. It’s too bad that she wouldn’t do it without the threat of having a body part removed.  
  
<Scum!> I huff loudly as one of her hooves smash into the soft part of my foot. Her eyes grew wide as she breathes out heavily, trembling.  
  
It would’ve hurt if she was actually strong enough to actually make it hurt.  
  
“Very, well. It seems this isn’t working either.” I step back before grabbing one of her stalks. I yank it up feeling it satisfyingly stretch. A sharp a cry of pain screeches into my mind, making me grin ever so slightly.  
  
I release her stalk, laughing quietly as she cringes away from me. Her tail curls around her body while she pulls her stalks as far away from my hands as she possibly could.

Oh how pathetic she looks.  
  
“Now then, will you behave?” I sigh quietly, stepping back while giving her an apathetic look.  
  
<Go die in a hole.> Though it wasn’t a strong reply. Actually, it is almost muted. That was a bit better. I think I’m actually making progress.

“Not willing to fight now are we? Giving in?” I’m teasing her lightly, leaning over her shivering form as I step close to her. I crouch near her, bringing myself almost to face level. Stupid mistake on my part.  
  
I felt the wind of her foot before I felt the pain of it connecting between my legs.   
  
White flashes over my eyes for a moment as I feel something snap in my groin. I breathe in deep, trying to control myself as my host felt some kind of burning sensation at where his genital sheathe was. The pain grew from a burning sensation to an inferno of agony.  
  
It is dizzyingly painful and if I hadn’t been in control, I’m sure he would’ve fainted.  
  
I look down at her in surprise, noticing the self satisfied expression of her’s as she grinds her hoof in. I bite my tongue making it bleed as I shake. The pain was horrendous!  
  
Just breathe… Just breathe…  
  
As she’s drawing her hoof away, there is the odd sight of his genital sheath dripping blood through the small slit. My vision blurs as I examine myself. How could she have…?

She crushed it?

Oh by the sulp niar… why does it hurt so bad? Why does it hurt so bad?

  
I lean over more while slowly taking in breaths of air, trying to control the scream that is bubbling inside of me. Of all places, it had to be there? Why?

I need to keep in control, I can’t let this beat me. The satisfied look she was giving me… She...

I felt like I was going to die...

I decide I’m truly fed up with her.

My pain is turning to anger with each passing moment and I am this time giving into it. I knew I need to punish her.  
  
She possibly just ruined my host body! How dare she!  
  
I stumble a bit, blood still oozing from between my host’s legs. I manage to keep balance long enough to hiss at her, “Bad _andalite.”_

She barely has a moment to regret what she has done.

I lift a foot before giving her a rough kick in the side in retribution. A cry escapes her as she crumbles into a small ball on the ground, her tail curling over the spot where my foot had connected with her side.  
  
I lift my foot again and slam it back down into her side. I feel a satisfying crack as one of her ribs cracked under the pressure of my foot.  
  
She trembles as her eyes screw shut, each stomp making her scream louder and louder.  
  
After a few minutes, I found myself satisfaction in her punishment. She is now a sobbing, shaking, bloody mess.  
  
I needed a better plan then this. It looks like she was giving in but too slow for my tastes, I need to make her obedient quickly before I break her body first. But how?

I crouch down beside her, examining her prone, trembling form. Blood oozes from a cut I opened up in her side again, her own blood mixing with mine on the floor in a almost brown pool.  
  
I shake my head, still feeling dizzy. I knew I need to take my host to a doctor but I am more focused on making her pay.  
  
How could I possibly make her more obedient?  
  
How?

“Ah!” I spring to my feet, an idea coming to mind. I stumble slightly from the movement, dizziness washing over me. But I don’t care.  
  
I could humiliate her! That damnable andalite pride of her’s could be broken. I just needed to make her see exactly how far she had fallen.  


Yes, but I’ll do it how we yeerks do it! In public, on display for everyone to humiliate while they’re being punished. Let’s see how long she lasts before she starts begging for me to bring her back. Oh she deserves it so very much!

My dear little andalite will learn her lesson! Yes she will!

She will regret ever doing this to my host!  
  
I notice Aldrea gazing wearily at me, slowly sitting up again. Her arms are shaking while she curls up against herself, protecting her body the best she can.  
  
<What are you excited about yeerk?> She examines her side, obviously trying to avoid eye contact. I sneer at her before turning on my heel, tail whipping behind me.  
  
“You’ll see.” I stalk off to the door, already knowing exactly where I was going to put her. Oh this was going to be _entertaining._  
  
She is going to pay for it all. She will never be defying me _again._  
  
But first… I need to heal my host.


	4. Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There are some non-consensual stuff in here, more specifically attempted rape in this chapter. If you can't handle this, please don't read it!

**** I am sick. 

So utterly sick. 

Not only did that  _ thing  _ spent hours torturing me, now it sounds like he had more to give. I didn’t know how long I could hold out before I collapse. Either my body will give in or my will and I’m going to make sure it wouldn’t be my will.

 

I cradle my arm against my chest, silently examining the ragged, bleeding flesh wounds he had left me in his tantrum. I start to breathe in but stop for a moment as my side began to sting slightly. I look down to see that several of my older wounds were open again as well.

 

But I am glad for the reprieve, for the rest.    
  
I start to move only to stumble as pain sears through my right side. I suck in a breath through my nostrils, holding back a scream. I knew he had broken a few ribs but I didn’t know how badly. There is no way to set them which meant if they healed crookedly then it could hinder me in the future.    
  
I’m feeling a moment of despair as I realize how much damage he’d done to my body. Damage that could be easily healed if I morph. But if I morph, I will get infested. None of my morphs could battle a whole army of yeerks.    
  
I lay back down, closing my eyes while I’m attempting to ignore the pain thundering through my body.    
  
I’m going to kill him. 

 

I’m not just going to sit back and let him torture me like this. Force me to bend to his will. I need to figure out some way of catching him off guard…   
  
I sigh pathetically at myself.    
  
But the chances of that are very, very small. It is all wishful thinking. All of it.   
  
No only death will release me now. There was no saving me… not even the andalite fleet that was coming could. Why would they? I am just a mere female and the daughter of Seerow as well, why would they care?   
  
I feel ill again, but this time a different kind of ill. The kind of ill that made your hearts hurt and your body tremble. I am in emotional pain.    
  
I have lost everything. My family, my friend, my freedom… all I have now is my own pride and willfulness. That useless pride of mine couldn’t save me and will only could go so far. 

 

I could feel myself sinking further and further into despair as I slowly lay back down. I allow myself to stew in my thoughts, in feelings. It was the only thing I could do. It certainly wasn’t productive

 

I had to wait for him to return to take me to my next punishment or whatever it’s going to be. Whatever that sadistic parasite had in mind, it had to be worst than what he just did. Just thinking about it is torture.    
  
I knew that if he could be this rough with me then what were his boundaries? How long until he completely destroys me? Will I die before then or will I live to see what’s left of my broken will?

 

I closed my eyes wondering if I could get him to kill me… Maybe… if I anger him enough…

 

Maybe...

  
  
I don’t know how long I slept, but I know I had. I believe tiredness had finally worn me down enough to take me unaware.    
  
The feeling of hands running over my body was the first thing that I wake up to. They brush up and down my sides then over my legs spreading something over them. I twitch slightly as they slip down over my stomach.    
  
They disappear before running their way up my arms. I manage to struggle to wakefulness as they stop just below my chin.    
  
Those, rough hands…

 

I came to full wakefulness as soon as those hands slipped over my ears, gently rubbing the tips between their fingers. I yank myself away as I hop to my hooves, hearts thundering in my chest.    
  
The sight that greeted me is that filthy yeerk kneeling on the ground with a confused, surprised look. His hands were dripping with that ointment he has been rubbing on my wounds lately.    
  
“You didn’t wake up as fast as I thought you would.” He says, getting to his feet, rubbing the ointment off on a towel as he gazes steadily at me.    
  
Now that the shock is wearing off, I began to feel a terrible throbbing sensation in my side. Gasping mentally, I bend over slightly while looking at my side. The pain is steadily becoming worse and worse, making me tremble.    
  
“Oh that’s right, I broke your ribs didn’t I?” He steps forward, obviously intending on  _ touching  _ me again.    
  
<STAY BACK SCUM.> I roared collapsing against the wall as I pull back from his hand. <Don’t you  _ dare  _ touch me again! What were you doing touching my ears anyway? You filthy, filthy->   
  
I didn’t get a chance to finish as he strikes me in the side with his foot. A wave of agony rocks through my body. I crumble into a pitiful pile on the floor as I kicked and thrashed, gasping.   
  
I could hardly breathe!   
  
I open my eyes wide while I suck in lungfuls of air, trying to control my shaking body. Oh by the stars did it hurt!   
  
My vision began to darken as I start to pass out. I didn’t fight it though, I happily accepted slipping into unconciousness. It didn’t even cross my mind what I would wake up to.    
  
It didn’t matter, any relief from this pain was welcomed.

 

“Wake up Aldrea!” A stinging slap across one of my cheeks brought me back to consciousness within a matter of moments. Torturous pain washes over me again as I scream in terror and agony, unable to control myself.    
  
I black out again, my body going slack as my mind buzzes, unable to fire off properly.

 

This time, I am not awoken again.    
  


* * *

  
  
<Mmmm?> I lift my head, noticing how heavy my neck is now. I shift my arms only to find that they seemed to be stuck together. I try pulling them apart a few times but something around them held them together.    
  
<Ah?> I was slowly becoming aware that something was wrong. The scent of that dust room I’m staying in is replaced with the scent of warm air and musky trees. I also felt grass under my body, not hard metal. I feel myself sinking into the grass, almost grateful to feel it after being in that stuffy cell.   
  
“Oh look she’s waking up.” I hear a voice nearby sneer before I hear grass crunching under someone’s feet. Something yanks me up by the collar around my neck, waking me up completely as my throat aches. 

 

My first, instinctive reaction was to strike whatever had me with my tail. But I didn’t feel it thump against something or someone. Instead it whipped through empty air.    
  
“Ha! No so tough without your tail, eh Andalite?” I snap my secondaries in the direction of the voice, glaring at it’s owner. This wasn’t Esplin, this controller was too scrawny to be him. No this is a different filth.   
  
<Who are you?> I snap, flinching as something hooks around one side of my collar. It was some rope!   
  
“None of your business andalite.” The new controller snorts, tying the end of the rope to the pole beside us. I take a moment to look between both of the poles. It is rather obvious what they planned to do with it. 

 

It is going to be my new prison. 

 

“Be careful with her!” Ah there he is. I turn my gaze towards Esplin’s voice, twisting it into a hard glare as I do. He is standing just a few feet away, arms crossed behind his back as he watches the new controller tie me in.    
  
<What is this yeerk? What are you planning?> I slowly stand up, flinching as my side clenched in pain for a moment. But I am surprised that I wasn’t on the floor in agony again.    
  
“I’m going to break that pride of your’s andalite. Perhaps some communal training might help that attitude.” I felt myself grow cold at his words. Communal training? He was planning on…   
  
<You’re going to humiliate me publicly now?> I couldn’t keep the shock of the revelation out of my voice. I immediately hate myself for it when he starts to smirk.

 

“Afraid?” He teases, slipping by one of the poles in his ever slow walk around.   
  
<No.> I flatly reply, forcing myself to calm down. I knew that the other yeerks would be just as merciless if not more cruel. He wouldn’t allow them to physically harm me, I hope, but he would allow them to harm me in other ways.   
  
His face fell into a grim look which made me shiver. “You will be.”   
  
“Are you done?” He turns his attention away from me, looking at the other controller who was just finishing tying up the other end of my rope to the post. He nods before stepping back.    
  
“Good.” The sub-visser steps in front of me before carefully hooking a finger in between my tied arms. “Then go ahead and tell the others that they may do as they wish to her. As long as they don’t leave scars.”   
  
The other controller gives a small grin before hurrying off to do just that.    
  
<Filth.> I spat at him when he releases my arms, allowing them to fall against my chest again.    
  
“You see, that is why you’re here in the first place Aldrea. That  _ attitude  _ of your’s.” He snaps, taking a step back. “Let’s see how much fight you’ll have after my soldiers have some fun with you.”   
  
I glare after him as he strides off, heading to a tree which he promptly climbs up. I follow him until he disappears over the lip of the platform. He must be finding a good spot to watch.    
  
I look down, ears pinning against my head. I feel my hearts starting to pound as I came to realize that he is leaving me to the mercy of other controllers. But I mustn’t show fear, I need to take this quietly. No, my pride, the pride he wanted to break, wasn’t going to allow it.    
  
I manage to keep myself calm until the first of them arrived. My warning was the sound of grass being crushed underfoot as someone approaches me.    
  
“So the sub-visser wants us to break you.” The female controller from before stands before me, sneering down at me. I wrinkle my nose but say nothing in return. There was no way I am going to entertain them.    
  
I gasp as a rough hand grabs my stalk and pulls it back. I quickly tilt my head back to avoid having it injured.    
  
“I’m speaking to you andalite scum.” She brings her face within inches of mine, breathing out heavily. I scuff a foot against the ground, eyes narrowing slightly. I still refuse to talk to her. 

 

“He’s right, you are rather willful!” She lets out a laugh as she continues to pull back my head until I revealed my throat to her. My breathing quickened as I was not only tied down unable to fight but one of my most tender places were revealed to this  _ scum. _

 

I flinch in horror as she dips a claw down to my throat and slowly runs it across. I try not to allow my fear to show but I knew that I was more than likely shaking slightly. I am waiting for that moment when she starts cutting in but it didn’t happen.   
  
“Oh if only I could slice open that pretty little throat of your’s andalite.” She roughly releases my stalk, allowing my head to fall to my chest. I breathe in deeply while watching her slowly walk around to my backside.   
  
I’m made aware of another controller coming up to me. By the lopping gate, I knew it had to be a gedd controller. I quickly turn my stalk towards them, glaring at them. They flinched and stopped but then came towards me again. 

 

While my attention was on the new controller, the hork-bajir controller suddenly grabs my tail. I let out a loud, startled cry as she suddenly yanks it, the muscle stretching painfully. 

 

“Useless! Absolutely useless! Without that tail of your’s, you’re useless! I wouldn’t even use you to practice my aim on at this point!” I grind my hoof into the ground, keeping my gaze focused forward. A wave of disgust washes over me as the gedd controller in front of me leans in close.    
  
I quickly pull my head back once they start reaching for my face. I close my nostrils at their strong smell.   
  
“I agrrrree.” The gedd controller’s hand slaps onto my collar before pulling my back down to face level. I am forced to look at him directly in the eyes with my primaries. “I don’t underrrrstand why the visser is letting herrr live! A slave of a sub-visserrr, what a laugh!”   
  
I avert my eyes from the controller in front of me, not letting his words affect me. Let them mock me!

 

“We all know why.” The hork-bajir controller behind me releases my tail. I feel relief that she wasn’t going to snap my tail from it’s socket but that relief is quickly chased away.    
  
Her hand slaps onto my rump making the tender flesh sting. I kick out my back hooves but they only hit empty air. I toss my stalks back in shock to look at the controller that now had her filthy hand on my back thigh, grinning at me with smugness.    
  
<Unhand me you disgusting, awful scum!> I roar, attempting to kick her again. That only earned me a cruel laugh from the controller.    
  
“Rrrrratherrr loud isn’t she?” The gedd controller has a hand on my ear, testing the fur on it with gentle strokes of a misshapen finger. A wave of revulsion washes over me at the contact.    
  
How dare this scum touch me as if I was family! How dare he!   
  
I attempt to pull back my head but just as I jerk, I feel and  _ heard  _ another crack on my rump.    
  
<AHHH!> I struggle, glaring at the both of them with my primary and secondary eyes. They exchange a look of amusement as I do. I feel embarrassment was over me, sickening me.   
  
“Now we’re getting something out of her.” I feel relief rush through my body as I tip back my head. She is removing her hands off of me. 

 

“Get out of the way Carner.” Yet another controller…   
  
I breathe in, readying myself as this one places his hands on my tail again. The gedd controller in front of me releases my collar, almost sneering.    
  
“Come now Liniss, you know if you harrrm the sub-visserrr’s precious slave too badly he will have you’rrre head.” This gedd controller’s voice is quickly becoming irritating. 

 

“Silence Urrin!” Just as he says this, my tail is yanked until pain burns through it. I dig my front hooves in just as my back side is lifted off of the ground. “She  _ deserves  _ what she gets! This filth! This disgusting-”   
  
I feel a painful snap before I completely lost feeling in my tail. My body weight must’ve snapped the delicate nerves connecting my tail to my body. That whole bundle of nerves…   
  
“Oh, I heard that.” Carner says loudly after the snap, sounding like she was starting to laugh.   
  
I stare at the ground in horror, knowing that I would never be able to move it again. My tail is just a dead limb, a dead unusable limb.    
  
My back side is released again but I find myself unable to keep on my back legs, them collapsing behind me. For a moment I felt my tail thunk on the ground but feeling went away again.    
  
I feel myself go slack in relief. The nerves are just over stretched, that can be healed easily. At least I hope that is what happened. I so dearly hope that I wouldn’t lose the rest of my tail.

 

“Did I break your tail andalite?” Liniss walks into view of my main eyes. He leans down towards me, bringing his muzzle close to my face. “Did it hurt?”

 

I flinch away but keep silent.

 

“Good, I’m going to make sure you feel more. This is for every one of my friends you had killed you _ hruthin _ .” He suddenly kicks me in the abdomen, making me bend over. My world spun as I try to suck in a breath but found myself unable to.

 

My front legs give out as pain sears through my body, making me scream silently. The collar around my neck prevents me from completely crumpling to the ground. My airway is cut off and I gasp scrambling to get to my hooves.    
  
A wave of nausea washes over me when I manage to. My body shakes and I feel myself expel some of my digestive juices onto the ground. My head tips back giving me a good look at the sub-visser standing at the top of the platform, watching me.    
  
“Look at me!” I feel the sharp sting of this horrifyingly angry, revenge hungry controller’s hand over my right cheek. My head spins before everything goes dark.    
  
“Carner you fool! She’s going to hang herself if she passes out like that!” I feel cool water spill over my head, waking me up.    
  
My lungs burn for air before I get the sense to get to my hooves, drawing in fresh breath the pressure is released. My hearts jolted before I snap open my eyes, staring up at the controller who had splashed water on my face.    
  
This new controller has a remarkable amount of scars that seemed to cover nearly every part of their body. It’s obvious how many fights they had been in. He drops the bowl he is holding on the ground, glaring at the other controller. I knew better than to feel relief that he had pushedthe other controller away.    
  
He wasn’t here to rescue me.   
  
“Do it like this instead.” My hearts stop as he tips my head back with a finger. He lowers his head while opening his maw. Cold terror takes ahold of me as he carefully wraps his jaws around my throat.    
  
Hork-bajir are xylophagous and had incredibly strong jaws because of their mostly bark diet. Jaws that could potentially break bones if they wanted to. Jaws with beaks sharp enough to rend flesh from the body if used that way.   
  
If hork-bajir were predators, they would be horrifyingly deadly.    
  
<No!> I cry as his teeth began to dig into my flesh, drawing blood. For a moment I thought he really was going to tear my throat out. Despite the sub-visser’s orders. <No, no, no, no!>   
  
A trickle of blood slowly oozes from a wound as he pulls his jaws away. Instantly I felt remorse at my moment of weakness as I realize the controllers around me were sickenly amused. I lower my head, forcing myself to focus. I couldn’t let that happen again!   
  
I hear movement behind me and once again a warm pair of hands come to rest on my haunches. I squirm, eyes widening as I saw it wasn’t the female again but the male that had knocked me out.    
  
“I have a better idea.” He growls digging his claws in slightly at the base of my tail. His hands smoothly slip up my tail before giving it a yank, pulling my rear end off of the ground. A tremor of pain rocks my body as the stretched nerves on my tail suddenly come to life again. 

 

He lifts my body higher and higher until I couldn’t touch the ground with my front hooves. I felt utterly helpless, so utterly helpless.    
  
<AHHHHHH! AHHHHH!> This time I couldn’t help but scream in agony. It was like my spine was being torn apart starting at my tail. My legs flailed in the air as I tip my head back, eyes wider than I had ever opened them before. <STOP! NO!>   
  
I drop to the ground again with a thud. White flashes across my gaze as I black out for a single moment. I am quick to stand again as my airways were cut off again by the collar.

 

I rock on my hooves as I shake my head, clearing it. I quickly look up, ready to glare at my attacker. When I do, I saw more controllers, more yeerks waiting on their own turn with me. All of them probably wanting their own revenge or simply sick satisfaction of torturing an andalite.    
  
I began to feel utter despair. This was going to break me, I knew it.

 

* * *

  
  
I did not know how long they had been going at it but when it slowly became silent as the controllers got their fill of me, I realize that it was night now.    
  
Every part of my body was screaming in agony. Some parts not even working anymore it would seem. I try lifting a back hoof only to dully realize that it was numb. I move a stalk and searing pain made me stop moving it instantly.    
  
But, as I realize, that what has snapped me out of my stupor wasn’t the lull in the endless torment they had been doling out to me. No... something odd was going on. Something different.   
  
It took me a moment to register that a group of controllers had taken their place behind me, whispering to one another. 

  
“You know this might get us punished right?” One said, leaning in close to the largest one. I feel confusion at their words. What will get them punished?   
  
For a moment I feel hope. Maybe they were going to kill me!

 

The largest one snickers before I felt pressure on my back side, his hands resting just on the base of my tail. “If no one sees us then no one will know. I want to teach her a lesson she will never forget.”   
  
“You’re disgusting you know that. Really? Reproducing with an  _ andalite _ . What the grifaash gave you that idea?” The third one, this one a female it would seem, gagged. My hope turned into quiet terror.

 

Reproduction… mating? Is he…?

 

“Oh be silent Jerriss, I’ll be only a few moments. Anyway, it’s too dark for anyone to see.” I can feel his presence directly behind me, making me freeze up. He really is going to mate with me!   
  
“Don’t expect me to cover for you if you get caught.” The disgust in the female controller’s voice is palpable.    
  
I feel my heart beat kick up as I come to full wakefulness. I stare back at them with my one good stalk in horror as the cold, cruel realization of what was about to transpire settles upon me.   
  
Of all things!

 

I did not care if they destroyed my body, but anything like that… being touched in such an intimate way by filth like this! That was only reserved for the one whom I will share my love with. Not him!   
  
I feel my stomachs roll as I look to the ground, main eyes’ vision blurring. They really were going to take everything from me. They were going to dirty every single last bit of me weren’t they? There was nothing they were going to leave me.   
  
I thought yeerks didn’t like mating for enjoyment or anything really besides making more of their hosts. That’s the impression I had gotten when we stumbled upon a centre they were setting up for the sole purpose of creating more hosts.   
  
I close my eyes tightly as the controller’s hands wander lower until they rest on my thighs. He spreads apart my back legs, fully exposing me. I feel myself tighten up in response to the cool air hitting me.    
  
I so desperately try to imagine being somewhere else. But every movement, every touch was felt by me. Why was it this that scared me so much? Was it all of those years of conditioning on andalite about female sexuality? Or was it the fact they were doing something considered incredibly intimate by my own kind?   
  
“I’m going to leave, I don’t really want to see you mate with an andalite.” The footsteps of the female walking rapidly away disappear in the distance. The male just snorted as I feel him press his pelvis up against my own, grinding himself into me.    
  
“Well andalite, let this be a lesson to you then. You’re nothing now, you don’t even get the decency of being bred with your own kind. No, you are lower than nothing now.” I couldn’t stop my trembling as the controller brings his mouth to my ear, his breath billowing against my cheek. “You are worst than nothing  _ andalite. _ ”   
  
I feel revulsion at the feeling of  _ something  _ pressing against my vulva. But just as I tense in preparation for the penetration, I hear something crack just beside my ear.    
  
A scream of horror pierces my ear as the second controller stumbles back before running rapidly away. Warm liquid runs down my ear and drips onto my shoulder as I hear the controller ontop of me gacking. Blood spills out of the controller’s mouth, his eyes rolling in their sockets back and forth.   
  
There is another crack then the sound of flesh being torn before his head falls over my shoulder and onto the ground with a dull thunk. I dizzily realize that the cut wasn’t clean. It was done by not an andalite blade but a hork-bajir blade.   
  
I feel the full weight of the headless controller’s body weigh down upon me as the muscles gave out. I collapse under the weight of the corpse, whimpering softly in relief. Relief that it wasn’t going to happen. That I wouldn’t have to have it happen to me.   
  
Someone has come to save me! Who else would kill a controller?

 

I sag in relief as the body is shoved off of my back and a strong pair of arms curl around my body, pulling me back up to my shaking feet. The gentleness of their touch and the way they felt… The way they smelled.   
  
Something is comforting about them. Something so familiar...   
  
<Dak?> I feel like crying as I look up to see the face of my rescuer, unable to hold back the relief.   
  
Time seems to still as I look into the face of not Dak, but the Sub-visser himself.    
  
My body goes cold as my mind began to rapidly search for an answer. Why the Sub-visser would kill one of his subordinates? Why he would stop them from raping me when he had called for my punishment? How did he know?

 

Why he would rescue me?

  
But one look at his expression was more than enough to tell me why. I could feel it in his tense body as well. I knew all too well what he was feeling from experience.   
  
He is angry.  No… he is  _ enraged _ .

 

“That filth! That disgusting filth! How  _ dare  _ he use you like that!” The sub-visser roars, making me flinch away. Confusion addled my mind, making me unable to grasp at a single reasonable thought.    
  
Why?

 

“No, no Aldrea.” He pulls me against his body, break pressing against the side of my head. “You’re mine. Let them temper you but I will not be letting them have you like that. You are mine.”   
  
I rock with dizziness, making me practically fall into him as my legs gave out. His arms tighten around me as he hisses into my ear,    
  
“You are mine Aldrea, no one is going to have you like that.”

  
I close my eyes, feeling the blood on my fur starting to cool. I couldn’t deny my relief though… relief that I wouldn’t have to feel what it is like to have someone sexually force you.   
  
I feel myself sag against him, no longer able to muster enough energy for feeling disgusted at his touch nor to even stand. I did try to pull away as he places a hand on my ear, gently rubbing it. But it was a very weak attempt. My body has had enough.    
  
“Giving in Aldrea?” I hear him whisper, fingers slipping across my cheek now. I pull away weakly again. I want him to get his hands off of me and leave me alone.    
  
“Or are you simply too tired to fight me?” He sighs, fingers running through my fur slowly, almost as if he was savouring the feel of it. “Well I will be just glad for this little reprieve. Perhaps one day you will willingly do this.”   
  
In your dreams yeerk.   
  
But I allow myself to sink into exhaustion. He didn’t attempt to keep me awake. He just held me while quietly running his fingers over me. Something about his petting, even if I was too tired to comprehend it, was soothing. I found myself wanting to sink further into his arms.   
  
“One day, you will  _ adore  _ me.” He whispers just as I fall into a deep slumber. “I promise you that Aldrea.”


	5. Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan

Weariness drags at my body as I groggily start waking up from my deep sleep. I wasn’t expecting to be fully refreshed after a rest but I at least hoped I would have enough energy to deal with whatever was next. 

  
It takes me a moment to come to realize that the ropes around me had been loosened enough to allow me to lay down. I am confused at first but then I remember what happened last night. The hork-bajir controller that tried to force himself on me and the sub-visser who decapitated him to stop them.

 

Why would he do that to his own people? What possessed him to decapitate one of his own? What was _wrong_ with this sub-visser?   
  
I could tell there was something more to his actions. There was something… possessive about how he acted towards me. Even his memories of me held this odd emotion. But yeerks couldn’t lust after others like we could right? But that was the only explanation I could come up with. He was keeping me alive with the sole purpose of making me a slave. Any other yeerk would just kill me. But he… he was certainly different.   
  
I could feel my body starting to tremble as I remembered falling unconscious in his arms. Why had I allowed myself to do that? Why did I show him weakness again?   
  
Something in the back of my mind told me it was because I was a weak female. But I refused to accept that as an answer. Being a female had nothing to do with it. Though I had a feeling that the sub-visser was hoping to exploit it though.   
  
Damn fool.   
  
“Ah, good to see you’re awake.” I hear a thunk beside me when I start to rise to my shaking hooves. I turn a stalk to glare at him but flinch at the pain. I remember that my stalk had been harmed in my breaking in yesterday. I am starting to silently curse myself now.   
  
<Go die.> I snap, my legs splaying out as I attempt to hold myself up. I flinch as I start to collapse but the shock of him holding me up shocked me to full wakefulness. I flinch away from him and his claws as they dug into my shoulders.   
  
“Now that wasn’t nice. Aren’t you going to thank me from saving you from being raped?” The sub-visser sneers before letting me go, allowing me to collapse to the ground. I gasp mentally as the wind was knocked out of me. I take a moment to take in a few breaths of air.   
  
<Oh excuse _me,_ thank you for allowing your people to literally beat me until I fainted. > I wasn’t going to thank this filth for anything.   
  
“Tsk.” He crouches down at my face, staring into my eyes with his own crimson ones. “You really have quite the strong will Aldrea. I _love_ that. But you must be tempered.”   
  
Disgust washes over me as I close my eyes, trying not to read into what he said too much. I didn’t want to know what he meant. I just didn’t.   
  
He gets up again, brushing off his knees as he glances around. “How long since it has been since you’ve last eaten Aldrea?”   
  
I sit up, finding the question strange. But my empty belly and slightly clenching legs told me that it had been too long. An andalite could go without eating for four days before our body starts shutting down. It has been exactly two from what I remember.   
  
“It has been awhile hasn’t it?” He is starting to grin sadistically. “Too bad, you won’t be eating soon.”   
  
I trembled as I get to my hooves, feeling weak already. For just a moment despair washes over me at the thought of starving to death. But then I had to remind myself that he wasn’t going to let me die. One way or another, I was going to eat soon. This was just him trying to break my will.

 

<If you think that will make me give in, then you’re rather unintelligent.> I snap, leaning against a post for support.   
  
“We’ll see about that. Tighten her up again but no one touches her today.” Esplin turns away from me, talking to someone out of my line of sight. I sucked in a breath as the ropes around my throat slowly tightened as the ones around the post were pulled back. I was once again forced to stand between the posts.   
  
“I shall be back by mid-afternoon. Please try not to do anything you might regret.” With that, he disappears up a tree followed by another pair of controllers.   
  
I lower my head, breathing in deep. He saved me from being raped but yet here he was planning on starving me. Did he think I would go crazy like a starving yeerk? Or was he waiting until I was weakened enough for him to finally break my will.

 

This yeerk… was an odd one I had to say.   
  
The morning slowly turns into mid-day. A day on the hork-bajir planet was a little bit shorter than a day on Andal. But it still felt long just the same. My legs were already painfully clenching in hunger and my body already weakened from the brutal assaults. I could only keep my mind off of my pain by delving into my memories.   
  
But even they were only another painful reminder of how far I had truly fallen.

 

I kept replaying scenes of when my mother would hold me protectively in her tail while I dozed behind her, listening to the soft hum of the computer as she worked. Scenes where Dak and I had close moments of intimacy that quickly were ended by one thing or another. Even scenes where my brother and I shared in games.  
  
Hours went by and the sub-visser returned just as he had said.   
  
<Go away.> I growled as I watched him stride up to me, flanked by a pair of gedds. I found his choice in guards unusual but there was probably a reason for it.   
  
“Now, now Aldrea do you _really_ want to stay here? Naughty andalites who don’t obey their masters get to _starve_ .” The way he spoke to me was degrading. Almost like he was scolding a naughty child.   
  
<Go die yeerk.> I snapped, trembling slightly in my bonds as I could feel anxiety slowly rise within me.   
  
“Ah… it’s a pity that you really are this strong willed....” He takes a dracon beam from one of the gedds and turns the dial. I realize that he was putting it on stun. I felt like he was robbing me of freedom by doing that. He was going to take me somewhere else wasn’t he?   
  
<Yeerk scum, I’d rather die than ever give into you.> It was a weak attempt to defy him again but already despair washes over me again.   
  
His face twitches before he looks at me dead in the eyes. “It’s time we try something else then, Aldrea.”   
  
He holds the weapon face level, finger pressing on the trigger. But in that moment I hear rustling before suddenly I hear a voice. A voice that brought me life again, waking me up from my painful stupor.   
  
“ALDREA!” I manage to pull my stalk around, happiness flooding my body as I catch sight of Dak. But that moment of happiness quickly changes to horror as the sub-visser snaps his body in Dak’s direction, holding up the weapon. His finger still is ready to press down on the trigger.   
  
“Seer!” His shock was palatable but I noticed a cruel sneer slowly spreads across his face. It takes me a moment to realize that he hadn’t turned up the weapon, it was still on stun! I look to Dak, watching him as he shifts into a fighting pose. I am silently warning him to run but I knew that wasn't enough. I had to warn him now!   
  
<DAK RUN.> I scream, realizing what the sub-visser was going to do. He wasn’t going to kill him, he was going to capture him! Dak fell into an unintended trap! I couldn’t let him get captured too, he needed to run!   
  
But he shifts even more before sprinting towards him, blades raised and slashing wildly. I close my eyes tightly as a bright red flash comes from the tip of the weapon followed by a thunk as Dak’s paralyzed body hits the ground.   
  
  



	6. Dak Hamee

<DAK RUN!> Her voice cuts through my consciousness like her blade through flesh. But it didn’t stop me, no I started to run. Even as I saw the weapon fire up, even as red covers my vision as I was knocked to the ground, I still wanted to fight. I wanted to kill him.

 

<Dak  _ no  _ .> Aldrea’s horrified voice whispers into my head as I could hear her shuffling around. <Leave him alone you filth! Leave him be!>

 

A shadow falls over me and the sub-visser leans over me, carefully poking my face with the barrel of his weapon. I feel my head limply move to the other side, forcing me to look at Aldrea. To face the horror that she was looking at me with.

 

I wanted to laugh. Bitterly as well. I had foolishly done the exact thing I was telling myself not to. Now I was a prisoner just as she was. Though my fate probably wasn’t going to be the same as her’s. I knew it.

They were going to either kill me or infest me. I could only hope that they would kill me.

 

“Well, well now I have both the andalite and her  _ seer  _ pet!” The visser croons delightfully while pushing my body over with a foot. He leans over the top of me while sitting down on my stomach. I suck in a breath for a moment before breathing out slowly.

 

I couldn’t think of a thing to say to him. Not that I could speak to him anyway, my whole body was paralyzed by the dracon blast.  Actually, I do have something to say to him. It wasn’t going to be pleasant either.

 

Perhaps it was best I couldn’t speak.

 

“Hold down my host, I’m going to infest him now.” The yeerk gleefully grins down at me. I could’ve sworn I felt my both of my hearts stop right then and there. I knew they were either going to kill me or infest me, but I wasn’t expecting this… yeerk to do it himself.

 

The two gedds who had joined him come side by side near him, pinning his body down under their weight. Though I could see one of them pointing a weapon at the back of his head. I felt a moment of hope that they were going to kill him but I knew better. They were going to stun who ever was this yeerk’s host.

 

The sub-visser leans down towards me, his chest pressing against mine while he comes ear to ear to me. I could hear Aldrea weeping somewhere in the back of my mind but I was more focused on what was happening to me.

 

I close my eyes tightly as the hork-bajir’s body goes slack on top of me, the yeerk disengaging from their brain. I hear their shuddering breaths as they gain control of their own functions again. I half expected them to rise up within moments of release but they didn’t. Instead they just tremble above me.

 

<Dak no… no… no…> I could hear Aldrea’s hooves scrape against the ground, obviously trying to break free. But then there’s a heavy thunk followed by another scrape. <No… I’m so sorry Dak. I’m so sorry.>

 

I could feel waves of anguish wash over my brain. These were Aldrea’s emotions I was feeling. This was the first time I was feeling  _ her _ emotions. It was strange to feel her emotions but I couldn’t help but feel comforted. Almost as if she was closer than she actually was.

 

I would’ve flinched if I could when something presses against my ear hole. The soft membrane covering it snaps as the yeerk forces it’s way in. Breath rattles in my chest as my ear goes numb.

 

“HORRRK-BAJIRRRR.”

 

One of the gedds screamed as they yanked themselves away from the sub-visser’s host. I felt hope flutter in my chest as Nerr lands near by with a heavy thud. The gedd that yelled had already been cut into by one of the younger girls, the wrist holding the weapon becoming useless.

 

That was when everything broke into chaos.

 

The sub-visser’s host suddenly bursts from on top of me, spinning on the gedd who didn’t have a weapon. There was a moment of stillness as the gedd’s eyes slowly widened. The freed hork-bajir brings his wrist blade deep into the gedd’s neck, leaving an ugly gash that bled yellowish-green blood.

 

I could feel the yeerk squirming at my ear, trying to get in but something was stopping it. Maybe my ear was far too tight for it to enter. Maybe, just maybe, I might get out of this without being infested.

 

The gedd lets out a gurgling scream as he falls back, clutching his throat. The hork bajir suddenly jumps away from me, using my side as a way to push himself. Dully, I realize that my side was bleeding now from his claws but that was the least of my worries.

 

The action had rocked me enough so that my head turned away from the yeerk. It is thrown from my ear with the push and squirms on the ground, letting out odd high pitched squeaks. I would’ve crushed it to make it stop but I currently couldn’t move.

 

<GET HIM OUT OF HERE. THERE ARE MORE COMING.> Aldrea’s sharp, frightened voice cuts into my thoughts.

 

My eyes widened as I remembered that we were in the middle of yeerk territory. By the sounds of those pounding footsteps and thunks all around us, there were many coming. We could hardly take on an army with so few.

 

But I was more worried about getting Aldrea away than getting myself away. But I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t tell them to cut her free.

 

“HEP! RUN!” Kett calls out from somewhere but I don’t hear Hep reply. I assume they were already running away. That was one less thing to worry about at least.

 

Even as Nerr and the newly freed hork-bajir pick me up between them before dragging me up a tree, I still wanted them to stop. I wanted to save her. But I couldn’t even twitch a finger much less open my jaws to speak. Why couldn’t I be telepathic like an andalite? Why?

 

< **Dak, you have to keep yourself alive. Keep yourself alive and keep fighting them. Kill them Dak! Rid this world of their filth! You must! You must!** > Aldrea’s voice roars desperately in my head as the ground below disappears in immense foliage. I felt anguish as I realize that was going to be the last time I’ll ever hear her. This was it, I'll never see her free or alive again.

 

Of course the crashing behind us was far more worrisome for my companions. I could hear several controllers chasing after us, tearing their way through the trees. I hoped that they wouldn’t take them straight to our camp. They can’t find the last of us.

 

The crashing grew quieter and quieter until it completely disappeared. I breathe a sigh of relief as we start to slow down. We were safe… at least for now we were. Who knew how many they had patrolling out here.

 

“They gone?” Nerr was speaking to Kett, who seemed to be currently nursing a wound in her side. I turn my head, relief washing over me as I do, to see that it was a hole from a dracon beam. It wasn’t deep into her side and it probably didn't hurt any major organs.

 

She would live.

 

“Yes.” The young female sniffles, bottom jaw trembling. We didn’t get away completely clean it would seem. I turn my head left and right, realizing that Hep was gone.

She didn't make it.

 

Either she was captured or killed. I could only hope that she was killed, that was a far kinder fate.

 

“Hep gone. But we live.” Nerr bows her head to Kett, placing her hand on her shoulder. Kett starts to shake before leaning into Nerr.

“Hep gone.” Kett sniffles in confirmation, her arms tightening around Nerr firmly.

I take a moment to assess the situation.

Kett and Hep certainly were close, far closer than most friends. Even their relationship alluded me. It's depth didn't make much sense.

 

It was almost as if they were mated. But that couldn’t have been possible right? They were both female after all. Why would two females mate?

 

Either way, she was mourning the loss of someone dear to her. I would need to speak with her later and ask if she wanted to hold a ceremony for Hep.

Feeling slowly returns to my body, allowing me to sit up and even move my jaw. I slowly turn my head around as I test my neck for a moment before I turn my gaze upon Kett and Nerr.

 

Nerr was quietly consoling Kett, rocking her quietly in her arms like a mother would a child. It looked like they weren’t needing me at the moment. That left the newly freed hork-bajir.

 

I look over at where he is sitting, quietly observing me. I sit up a bit more before breathing in. I was so glad to be able to move again. “What is your name?”

 

The male tips his head for a moment before breathing out slowly. He seemed to be gathering himself up for something. “Laut Kelim.”

 

“Well Laut, you are free.” I didn’t know what else to say to him. It wasn’t like we could’ve held a meaningful conversation.

 

But that got him smiling.

 

“Laut free.” He nods in agreement before his face grows serious. “Yeerk dead?”

 

For a moment I almost said yes but stop myself. It was obvious the yeerk would die in such a scuffle but there were always those ifs. Ifs that I didn’t want to entertain.

 

“I believe so.” I slowly reply, already testing my legs, kicking them forward and back.

 

“Andalite dead then.” His expression doesn’t change as he says this.

I slowly look up from my stretching, swallowing dryly. I knew exactly what he meant when he said that. It was probably the yeerk who was keeping Aldrea alive. They would kill her now that it was dead.

 

“Yes… It is for the best. She won't suffer infestation.” I run my fingers slowly over my chest, clenching my teeth as I do. I could feel my hearts practically cracking from the emotions. There was also the urge to curl up somewhere dark and quiet to cry. But I couldn’t do that. I was the only leader they had now.

 

I close my eyes tightly before rising to my feet. I had to keep going, I needed to protect my people. Aldrea’s last words were calling me to protect my people. But she was also asking me to kill the yeerks as well.

 

I breathe in before turning my attention to my small group. “We need to return and move our camp. We can’t stay near here.”

 

Kett looks up from Nerr’s chest, still hiccuping while Nerr glances over at me with a disapproving frown. I knew that she probably wanted to wait a bit longer until Kett was ready but we needed to go now.

“We can mourn once we’re safe.” I look at Kett who simply looked down. I felt sorry for her. She wasn't even allowed to mourn like she wanted to.

 

Once my group had gathered around me, I motioned for them to go. With a single push, I send myself off a branch and jumped into the next tree. Behind me the others did the same.

 

I knew that I had to at least try to fulfill part of Aldrea’s wish. I knew that I had to honor her just a little bit. Even if she was a selfish foolish girl who had too much power for her own good.

 

But she was the girl that I wanted. The girl that had given me the world and the universe.

 

I promise Aldrea, I will kill every single last one of those parasites. I will do it for you.

 


	7. Esplin 9466

This was the fourth time I almost died. This time it was reminiscent of when I first faced that andalite girl.   
  
I laid there blind and helpless for nearly an hour before someone had the sense to come to find me. Once again I was dropped into a nearby pool until a new host was secured for me. I was already enjoying this new host I had gotten.   
  
This one was somewhat submissive.   
  
They didn’t put up a huge fight and calmed down after a few moments. They didn’t try to fight me again after that. They’ve already accepted that I was their master.   
  
I a little bit more than glad I had gotten another male. I had never felt secure in a female body. Something about them made me feel open, weak. Perhaps it was my research on andalite outlooks on genders or simply being in only male bodies.   
  
“Where is the andalite?” Was the first thing I said after stepping from the yeerk pool. I needed to find her now. If she had gotten away…   
  
I barely contained my anger when they took too long to reply.   
  
“Visser Nine ordered us to put her in her cell.” The hork-bajir in front of me was looking at me oddly. I could see fear alighting in their eyes as I step forward.   
  
I guess word about what I’ve done had spread rather quickly. The Visser had heard about it but he agreed with my choice. He found it deplorable that anyone would attempt cross-species reproduction. He even said he would’ve done the same thing if he had caught them.   
  
But the rest of the lower ranking yeerks knew now what I could do. I didn’t care. As long as they didn’t try to disturb my andalite, they could think of me however they want. In the end, I was the one higher ranking than them.   
  
“Good. Do not bother me for the next hour.” I walked past him, tail twitching. My precious andalite was still here with me. I guess even her seer didn’t care enough to save her.   
  
But I would soothe that pain for her.   
  
“Aldrea.” I purr as I step past the doors into her cell. She looks up from where she was crumpled up in the corner. I could see the weariness and pain in her posture but her eyes were still burning with hate.   
  
Good to see that she hadn’t changed much.   
  
<Go die yeerk.> She snaps as I walk to her, putting my hands behind my back. I carefully look her over, assessing the damage she had inflicted on her. No new cuts but I could tell many things were bruised or broken.   
  
I ignore her poor attempt to anger me and simply walk up to her. She moved a bit away from me but it looked like she was unable to get to her hooves at the moment. She _did_ try but they slipped out from under her each time she did.   
  
“Your seer pet has abandoned you It would seem.” I kneel down beside her and reach out to touch her stalk that had it’s eye swollen shut. But she slaps my hand away, breathing out angrily.   
  
<He hasn’t. I told him to leave.> She snaps, pressing her back against the wall.   
  
I pushed away my annoyance at her refusal to allow me to touch her and just sigh heavily. “You keep telling yourself that.”   
  
Why couldn’t she be just as docile as she had been that night I saved her from that filth? Why couldn’t she just lay in my arms and sleep?   
  
_Why couldn’t she just show me affection?_   
  
I felt a moment of jealousy as I look down at her, gazing quietly into her eyes.   
  
Why?   
  
Perhaps… the method I am using isn’t working. Perhaps she won’t respond to physical pain or mental pain even. No I need to do something else. Perhaps if I treated her with kindness she might instead warm up to me?   
  
That could be a method to try. But I wasn’t exactly good at showing affection. To be even more honest, I don’t think I know how.   
  
But it’s time to learn.

 

But perhaps totally becoming affectionate to her might make her think I’m weak. So perhaps I can go with a both a pain system and a pleasure system. Something similar we had done with hosts of other species that proved to be too much.  
  
It worked for them.   
  
“Aldrea?” I lean forward, reaching towards her ear. I knew from what I had researched on andalites, touching the ear was something family or lovers did to show affection.   
  
She seemed to noticed what I was attempting and pulls her head away, eyes widening. <Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare touch me!>   
  
I could see her whole body stiffen as if she was getting ready to lash out but as soon as I pull my hand away, she relaxes. I knew that she wasn’t going to just allow me to touch her. This was certainly going to be a slow process.   
  
So in response to her moving away as I reached out, I hit a bump on her leg making her cry out. She yanks her leg away, eyes widening as she looks up at me. I breathe out slowly before grinning down at her.   
  
“I dare you to move again.” I said quietly as I reached out towards her. But once again, she pulls away with unease in her eyes. She was quickly becoming nervous of me it would seem.   
  
“Ah, ah.” This time I hit a small bruise on her thigh with my leg. Her mind releases a sharp wave of pain, making me flinch slightly. That was obviously a very painful spot for her.   
  
_Good._

 

“Aldrea each time you move away, I will hurt you. Why not just stay still and allow me to relax you?” I coo gently to her, wondering why my little andalite was so willful still. She should’ve been broken.   
  
<Relax, right. Who would relax around _you_ ? > She was cringing into the wall, looking up at me with hatred.   
  
“If you learn to trust me, you might.” I reach forward again to brush her ear. This time she didn’t move though she did stiffen as if she was going to. I smile gently, realizing that she was starting to learn quickly.   
  
“Good girl.” I breathe, my finger tips tingling as I brush the ever so soft fur of her ear. Though I did notice that it was starting to feel… rough. Blood was dried on it but it did take me a moment to realize she hadn’t bathed since I brought her here.   
  
“You need a bath.” I huffed, leaning down to breath in the scent of her throat. She sucks in a breath, back leg twitching. I could tell she was wanting to kick me right about now.   
  
Yes, she certainly needed one. She smelt too much of dirt, blood and sweat. Not something a female andalite should _ever_ smell of. Not a proper one at least.   
  
“Do you wish to be bathed?” I asked, still running my fingers over her ear. She blinks at me before narrowing her eyes in suspicion.   
  
<Not by you.> Her voice wasn’t loud which was a nice change. <But I do need one.>   
  
“Now, now. You either be bathed by me or you stay filthy.” I looked over her body, noting all of the dried blood stains all over her body. Both hork-bajir and andalite blood. There were also patches of dirt as well.   
  
She lowers her head away from my hand, looking down at the ground. I was surprised that she was even considering it. She pauses for a few moments longer before looking back up at me.   
  
<Try anything and I _will_ make you wish you hadn’t. > She growls, already trying to rise to her hooves. I carefully grab her arm, wondering what she could’ve meant by that. It wasn’t like I was planning on cutting off anymore lim-   
  
_Ah, she meant_ **_that._ ** **_  
  
_ **

“Do you really think I would attempt to mate with you?” I laugh, helping her to her hooves. She puffs out quietly, her body trembling slightly as she tried to keep her balance on her weak legs. I felt a moment of delight as she leans against me. But that delight was quickly chased away as she pushes me away, instead leaning on the wall for support.   
  
<If one of you tried to, then how can I trust you?> She was wobbling away from me, heading to the door. I grit my teeth before taking two steps towards her. For just a moment I felt my anger rising as she glares at me when I stand over her.   
  
I push her upper body roughly against the wall, making her cry out quietly as her body hits the cold metal. But she was right, what reason did I give her to trust me?   
  
“Stupid andalite.” I growl, pulling away my hand. For a moment triumph flashed in her eyes which only furthered fueled my anger.   
  
She begins to shakily walk again but I could tell that she wasn’t going to make it. Her injuries were far too grievous. So with a sigh, I gather all four of her legs in my arms.   
  
<Hey! What are you doing?!> She yelps as I pick her up, her body trembling in my arms. Her upper body leans over my shoulder while she squirms her lower body. I ignore her tail thumping against my legs while I carried her to the door.   
  
<Do you realize how much that hurts?> I could hear her breaths painfully coming out against my ear as her weak fingers dug into my left shoulder blade.   
  
“I’m aware, but you’re too hurt.” I open the door with a sharp kick to the button before walking out. I noticed several yeerks turning to look at us. Their sneering faces annoyed me as I walked by them.   
  
A few were brave enough to shout insults at my andalite as I walked. I did not correct them though. If I did, I would be accused of being an andalite lover.   
  
“Andalite scum!”   
  
“Whore!”   
  
“Throwing out dung are we sub-visser?”   
  
I ignored them all as I walked on. I could tell some of their words were having an effect on the andalite in my arms. Her fingers had curled into a fist against my back and she was looking at the ground, pouting.   
  
Perhaps humiliation might temper her a bit. But for some odd reason the way they were taunting her made me upset as well. Perhaps I was getting some residual feelings from her. I have read that andalites can share emotions with one another if they so wished to.

 

But only those they trusted. She didn’t trust me…  
  
I shake my head, angry at myself for even feeling upset on her behalf. The relief I felt when I saw the doors to the communal bathrooms came into view. I knew that if I heard one more insult I would attack one of those fools.   
  
“Here we are.” A pair of silver doors slid open to reveal the communal bathing area. I was pleased to find that they were empty at the moment. So I can have some privacy with my andalite slave.   
  
The bathing area was simply a dug out pool similar to a yeerk pool. Though it was filled with water from the planet’s surface. It was filtered through the bottom to clean out any impurities and filtered back out into the main pool. So I can vouch the water was at least clean.   
  
Once I was close to the golden water, I carefully placed her down in the shallowest part which allowed her to also lean on the edge for support. Though it was amusing to find the water still reached up to her chest.   
  
<It’s cold…> She mumbles, shifting uncomfortably as I slip in beside her. I could see her shivering slightly. I wonder exactly how cold the water was to her.   
  
“Oh I’m sorry, do you wish I warm it up for you then?” I lightly laugh at her as I grab a cloth from the clean basket at the side of the pool.   
  
<Go die.> She had leaned her head down, resting it between her arms. Though I noticed she had her one of her better stalks trained on me. I smile at her as I dip the cloth into the water.   
  
I could feel her muscles tense under my fingers as I worked the cloth over her back. Already blood was slowly seeping up to the top the water as I rubbed away the blood that dried on her back. I wasn’t a fool not to notice that it was hork-bajir blood. Probably that filth’s blood.   
  
It was rather peaceful as I continued to wash her. She didn’t even fight as I moved her body around to wash her.

 

My fingers wandered over her supple back and legs. She certainly was beautifully muscled and that fur… I don’t think I had ever laid my hands on something so soft. She squirmed as my rag runs over her throat, her breath hitching as I slowly ran it down her chest.   
  
I breathed in her warm scent as I leaned down, dipping between her front legs. I rested my chin on her shoulder as I reached down her legs, smiling. I noticed she was looking at me from the corner of her eye. She looked angry but yet she didn’t tell me to stop.   
  
I could feel my hearts beating faster as I slowly ran the rag down her flanks, careful not to open any wounds. She was stomping her hooves now though I did noticed it was her back hooves. I also noticed an odd scent coming from her… slightly sweet.   
  
“Does it hurt at all?” I asked her gently, breathing in more of that wondrous scent. What _was_ that?   
  
<Of course it does! You keep hitting my bruises!> She snaps, though I could tell her anger was muted. I laughed at her before running the rag over her haunch. She wasn’t fighting back as much as I thought she would. This made this task far more pleasant.   
  
I get down to the base of her tail, where the smell was far stronger. I could feel my head getting dizzy at the smell. Even my host was finding it pleasant.   
  
Yes this is where that scent was coming from. But what was making it? Did a wound open up?

 

She did try to kick me when I dipped down to wash between her back legs to clean off her genitals.   
  
“Don’t do that.” I grumbled in an irritated fashion, already moving to her tail instead. I guess she wasn’t going to allow me to touch anywhere near that. Damn andalites and their modesty.   
  
<I told you not to do anything weird.> She snips, shifting her tail stiffly to allow me to wash under it.   
  
“Don’t tell me what to do.” I pulled up her tail higher to wash just under the base. Her body stiffened and before I could realize what she was about to do, I feel a sharp pain just next to my groin.   
  
I suck in a breath, reflexively pulling it back as I noticed her leg had kicked back. I dig my claws into her tail and glare down at her. I was at least relieved that she didn’t crush my host’s penis like she did the last one.   
  
“What did I just say about kicking me?” I pull harder on her tail, making her call out painfully in my mind.   
  
<What did I say about touching me in weird places?!> She snaps back, her body trembling. I could see the pain in her eyes as I continue to hold up her tail.   
  
“I was _cleaning_ you.” I growl, releasing her tail.   
  
She looks away, going silent as pull away the towel. I grit my teeth then stepped away while I tossed away the towel onto the floor. I could tell she didn’t have any counter argument to that.   
  
<Are you done?> Her voice was surprisingly quiet. This made me tip my head at her, trying to figure out what was going through her head.   
  
“Yes.” I replied briskly, already getting out of the water. I was pleased to find my host was feeling a bit cleaner as well. I hadn’t realized no one had washed him before this.   
  
I help out Aldrea with a smile before gathering her up in my arms again. The only protest I got was a rather soft thunk against my leg. I was surprised that she wasn’t fighting me.   
  
It was a bit concerning.   
  
“You’re suspiciously docile right now.” I muttered to her as I carry her out to the hallway. She sighs heavily against my ear before hitting my leg with her tail. I stumble for a moment before glaring over at her.   
  
<Better?> She asked, glaring at me from the corner of her stalk. I puffed up my chest but say nothing as I hold myself high. She did that to mock me!   
  
“Be silent andalite.” I growl from the corner of my mouth, ignoring some of the looks I was getting now. I didn’t hear the taunts I heard when I was walking to the showers. But then again the hallways were far more empty.   
  
“Ah, Sub-Visser Seventeen, just the yeerk I wanted to see.” My head snaps in the direction of the Visser’s voice. He was calmly walking up to me, a smile plastered on his smug face.   
  
“Visser Nine.” I reply, dipping my head as my load shifts to look at him. I could see her stiffening up as she gazes at my Visser. Though there was something _odd_ about her expression. It was far more focused, sharper even.   
  
What _did_ happen while I was was waiting for my new host?   
  
“Your andalite slave looks cleaner. Decide to finally give her a bath?” He casually puts his hands behind his back as he looks forward. I nod to him though I did carefully watch his expression. It was it’s normal smug smile but he kept glancing over at my andalite.   
  
“Did you wish to see me for something my Visser?” I asked, tail twitching along the ground. I didn’t like the Visser much but he did consider me as some kind of friend. The fool, I’m just using him to give myself more ranks.   
  
“The request went through.” That got my attention and I hopefully looked at Visser Nine. He looks back at me.   
  
That calm smile was starting to make me irritated.   
  
“Yes and?” I could feel my tail starting to twitch again, this time with excitement. My request to be ranked was made the day I captured Aldrea. But it took awhile before they got to it. Hopefully I would be a higher ranking sub-visser soon enough.   


“You have been promoted to sub-visser five.”   
  
“Sub-visser Five? What happened to him?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.   
  
“He was killed when a small andalite patrol entering a system four systems away from us attacked.” He ran his tongue over his muzzle a few times, gazing down at Aldrea. I could tell he was waiting for a reaction. So was I.   
  
But she hid her face on my shoulder, obviously hiding it. I felt a moment of delight that she was hiding herself against me in the first place. I knew that it was just because I was convenient at the moment but still…   
  
I felt happy.   
  
“Thank you sir, I shall serve my people to my very last breath.” I dip my head after he started looking at me. I saw something glittering in his eyes as he gazes into my own. For a moment I felt revulsion at the way he was staring at me.   
  
He was licking his muzzle again, looking up at me now. It was a very odd gesture that even my host was finding uncomfortable. Something about it was making him upset. But his simple mind couldn’t process it.   
  
To be quite honest, Visser Nine had always been strange. Everyone found him strange in fact. Many yeerks found it hard to approach him and talk without feeling disgusted after a few minutes.   
  
He and I originally used to feed at the same pool so we often spoke. During that time he was a sub-visser and I, a mere soldier. He used to chat on and on about things I couldn’t possibly even fathom.   
  
At one point he even asked that if we could reproduce without dying, would I. I, of course, said that would be impossible so there is no point of even thinking of it. He seemed rather upset by my answer. I had a feeling that he was simply interested in me as a mate.   
  
But I certainly wasn’t interested in him. I found my own kind aberrant and utterly unattractive. I couldn’t even imagine wanting to die in reproduction with two of my own people.     
  
<He’s awful.> I heard Aldrea mutter in my mind as her tail curls over my leg. I feel a slight shiver at the feeling but I didn’t quite agree with her. But I did wonder why she had said that.   
  
“Either way Sub-Visser _Five_ , I congratulate you. I hope you continue to serve us well.” He stands at Aldrea’s cell door, still looking at me with that calm smile of his. I simply dip my head before entering the room as he opened the door for me.   
  
The door shuts behind me and I carefully set Aldrea down. She wavers on her legs but manages to keep standing despite her shaking. She looks up at me with her gorgeous yellow eyes.   
  
She was so much better looking than any yeerk. She certainly was…   
  
What was wrong with me? Why did I think of an andalite like this?   
  
<I do not like him.> She states as she shakily walks to the corner before laying down heavily. I focus my eyes on her as I crouch down, leaning back on my tail.   
  
“Why do you say that?” I asked, curiously tipping my muzzle downwards.   
  
But she doesn’t reply, she just curls her tail around herself and looks over at her back side. It takes me a moment to realize what she was getting at.   
  
“He touched you didn’t he?” I asked, rising to my feet. I could already feel myself becoming enraged as I draw myself to full height. I was almost ready to go out and confront him now.   
  
If he had so much as touched her wrong I would...   
  
<What?! No! He tried to break my tail! He told me that I was stealing you away!> Aldrea indignantly gets to her hooves, body shaking. <That yeerk is insane!>   
  
I fall silent as I gaze at her.   
  
With a sigh I sit down again, curling my tail over the ground in front of my feet. I couldn’t disagree with that. “I know Aldrea, I know.”   
  
I felt a bit sick that he had attacked Aldrea simply for being here. I wasn’t being stolen away, he never had a chance in the first place. Anyway, Aldrea is a thousand times more attractive than him.   
  
<Are all of you yeerks insane?> She lays down, leaning on the wall as she does. I could tell she was growing irate.   
  
“You think I’m crazy?” I kept my voice low as I gaze at her.   
  
<Yes I do. I also think you’re utter filth that should just end your life here and now.> I felt little surprise that she was telling me to go kill myself. I knew that quiet behavior would end sometime. I had a lot of work to do still.   
  
“You won’t be thinking that for long Aldrea… but I do have a question.” I get to my feet, brushing off my backside as I do. I then look directly into her glaring yellow eyes. “Would you find me more attractive in an andalite body?”   
  
Surprise lit up her gaze but then she wrinkled her nose. <Nothing would make you attractive _yeerk._ What ever body you take will never change the fact that you’re nothing but a disgusting parasite. >   
  
I sigh heavily at her turning away towards the door. I should’ve known that she would answer like that. But why did I feel so disappointed?   
  
“You won’t think that forever Aldrea. You will adore me.” I quietly tell her, already heading out the door. But just as it closes behind me, I hear her call back.   
  
<Then I’ll die before that happens yeerk. I will _never_ give in to you.>


	8. Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan

The seasons turned from warm to cold and with the cold came heavy, freezing rains. The kind of rains that chilled you to your very bones. 

 

The sub-visser normally took me out for a few hours a day to allow me to exercise and get some sun but during the cold season, he kept me inside. His reasoning was that he didn’t want me getting ill. But the boosted immune cells in my body would make quick work of many viruses. It was a poor reason. 

 

The wounds on my body healed and I was left with ugly scars in some places. But I didn’t really care considering there was no other andalite around to judge them. Though the sub-visser said several times that he found them saddening and told me that I should’ve just given in.   
  
I was quickly becoming restless as I was forced to stay inside day after day. The only relief I got was when the Sub-Visser took me out to help him. I was, after all, his slave now.    
  
The tasks he normally gave me ranged from carrying slightly heavy things on my back to fetching things for him. Though he had begun teaching me how to loosen the muscles on his body each afternoon as part of our daily routine. Apparently this was relaxing for him.   
  
My daily routine these days was sleep, eat, attend to the sub-visser’s needs, eat again, then sleep. Some days he took me to get bathed but he always insisted on cleaning me himself. I knew he got some kind of sick satisfaction out of touching all over my body.   
  
I  _ was  _ becoming used to allowing him to touch me but that was only because he would hurt me. After awhile, having your wounds opened again and again becomes tiresome. So I placate him by acting like I was giving in to him. It seemed to be working for now.   
  
But really, if he touched me in any place I didn’t like I still did fight back. Which was always fun considering how shocked he got when I did.   
  
Today seemed to be different, he hadn’t come to get me during his normal time to take me to feed.    
  
When I slowly began to awaken, I realized that the sub-visser hadn’t been the one to wake me this time. I had woken myself which was a nice change of pace to be honest. I hated it when he woke me up.    
  
I pushed myself to my hooves as I looked around with my stalks. I could tell that it was far later than when I normally woke up thanks to my internal clock. That was more than enough to draw suspicion from me.    
  
I slowly walk to the door and placed a hand on it before feeling around for the button. But it would seem he had hidden it when he left. I wasn’t too surprised, ever since my wounds had healed I could easily escape now. I was no longer burdened by broken bones and painful cuts.

 

I stepped back from the door and looked it over with both of my stalks. But I quickly gave up and returned to my corner, leaning on it  as I did. He will come when he’ll come. After all, he hasn’t forgotten a day yet.    
  
Though I didn’t have to wait long for him.   
  
The doors swished open and the sub-visser stepped in, expression grim. I looked up at him as he focused his red eyes on my own eyes. I could tell something had gone wrong in his day.    
  
And he was probably going to take it out on me.    
  
<Good to see you sub-visser.> I “politely” said to him, getting to my hooves. Though I didn’t give him a single glance over at him as I brushed at the fur on my chest.    
  
“Don’t start with me today Aldrea.” He growls, already dangerously close to exploding. I curiously tip my stalk at him as I watch him approach me. I move from my corner to meet him half-way.    
  
<Something’s upset you hasn’t it?> I smoothly brushed my tail against the ground, feeling slightly smug. I loved it when he’s like this. So much more entertaining in my opinion. I just had to nudge him correctly so that he wouldn’t actually attack me.   
  
“Your little seer pet has freed six cages of hosts today.” He leans down towards my face, breathing out heavily. “He is getting rather annoying. You certainly didn’t free hosts as often as he does.”   
  
<Dak’s methods would be different than mine, naturally.> I wouldn’t have risked freeing hork-bajir hosts unless we can get many of them in one go. It looked like Dak is far more aggressive in that respect. Or he was simply looking to build an army. 

 

“The Visser is losing his patience. Do you know where he might choose to hide?” He looked at me firmly in the eyes, expecting an answer. He should’ve already known that he wouldn’t get one.   
  
<No I do not. Like I said, his methods are different than mine.> I swished my bladeless tail along the ground a few times. For a moment I could see his eyes lighting up with anger but then they seemed to slowly slip into a blank look.   
  
“Of course you wouldn’t.” He grumbles before gently grabbing my shoulder. I flinched but I managed not to step away from him. I really wished he didn’t just grab me randomly.   
  
<So are you taking me to eat?> I asked as he pulls me towards his side. Once I was beside him, he lets go before walking to the door. Always need some kind of control over me it would seem. I couldn’t even walk sometimes without him dictating when I would and where I would.    
  
“Yes.” Was his quick, snippy reply.    
  
I angled my ears back but said nothing instead choosing to look up at him curiously. He looks at me from the corner of his eye, corner of his mouth twitching. 

  
He led me out into the hall before taking me down the main hall to the outside. I blinked against the light as it floods over me while the door slowly slides open. I could feel a moment of delight as I realize that it wasn’t cloudy today. Perhaps I wouldn’t need to feed in the freezing rain today.    
  
“Move.” Sub-Visser Five pushed me forward. I bristle but say nothing as I start to walk on command.    
  
He leads me to a small patch just under a platform. I noticed that it had grown quite a bit since I had led fed from this patch. I wondered if this rainfall was the cause of this quick growth.    
  
I turned a stalk towards the sub-visser as I slowly walk around the patch, grinding my hoof into it as I did.    
  
<So what will you be having me do today?> I casually asked him as I pressed firmly into a tough patch. He looks me from head to toe before looking away, snorting.    
  
“Nothing, I have no use for you today.” I turned my stalk onto him, surprised by his answer. Does that mean I’ll be stuck in that damnable room for a whole day? How could he be so unfair!   
  
I wasn’t going to let that go.   
  
<Are you sure there isn’t anything I could do for you?> I step away from the patch, returning to his side. His head snaps towards me making me flinch. But as I got a good look at his gaze, I could see the absolute smugness he had.    
  
I was disgusted.   
  
He looks around for a moment, obviously making sure no one was near by, and leans towards me before murmuring, “Are you wanting to spend time with me?”   
  
I flinch slightly but I managed to hold my ground. I could see the glee in his eyes as he waited for my answer. I knew that he liked me and sometimes I use it to my advantage. The less he knows that I’m just using him the better.    
  
<Yes.> I simply answer, feeling my stomach turn for a moment. I really wished that I didn’t have to do things like this. But the cost of what little freedom I could have was worth it.    
  
“Ah, Aldrea. I’m so glad that you’re starting to want to be in my presence of your own  _ free will. _ ” He turns away from me, tail twitching slightly as he does. I didn’t miss the way he said ‘free will’ almost as if he was implying I  _ wasn’t  _ doing it of my free will. Well technically he was right but I wasn’t going to allude to that any time soon.    
  
I simply walked with him as he leads me off towards the building where the my cell was. But we passed the door and instead headed down to an area I wasn’t too familiar with. The only thing I knew was down here was just more cells.    
  
<Where are we going?> I curiously, yet nervously asked him as he turned down another hall, going deeper into the building.    
  
“My office.” He replied simply.    
  
<Ah…> I haven’t been in his own private office yet, so this was going to be interesting. Though I wasn’t thrilled with the idea that I might completely alone with him again. Whenever no one was around he acted weird towards me. I could barely hold myself back when he does.

 

As he opened the door to his personal work room, I was greeted by the strong scent of bark. I wrinkle my nose before peering inside.    
  
There wasn’t much besides a few computers and a branch-like seat in the middle of the room. I wasn’t expecting it to be extravagant but I certainly didn’t expect it to be plain.    
  
I nearly jump as the door slides closed just a few inches from my tail. I snap a stalk towards the Sub-Visser huffing as I do. He smiles at me as he strides past, hands behind his back.    
  
If I had lost more inches off of my tail I would certainly be cross.   
  
He settled on the branch before leaning back, putting his hands on his thighs. He turned his head towards me before he motioned for me to come to his side. I angled my ears back nervously but I did as he told me.    
  
Just as I make it to his branch he suddenly grabs my arm, making me almost jerk back, and pulls me forward to his chest. I huffed as my chest hits his lower rib cage. I was somewhat forced to look up at him at this angle which annoyed me.    
  
<Need something?> I asked him, squirming a bit. But he held on to me tightly.   
  
“Do you find me attractive Aldrea?” He asked me almost sweetly as his fingers wandered over my throat, making me shudder in disgust.    
  
<I do not.> I replied stiffly as his fingers wandered up to my ear, rubbing it gently. He was doing that thing again where he tested my ‘relationship’ with him. But I always gave the same answer and he always asked the same questions.    
  
It was getting on my nerves.   
  
“What if I take an andalite host?” He pushed, sounding like he wanted me to say yes. But he already knew that answer as well.   
  
The thought of him owning an andalite body made me feel so very sick deep inside. I had thought about it after that night he had first asked me and I came to a single conclusion.    
  
There would no longer be that boundary between species. If he so pleased to, he could mate with me under the guise of reproduction. The thought of that made me beyond sick. I didn’t want this creature putting both his host and I through that torture.    
  
<No.> I replied staunchly, trying to pull away now. I found myself now able to walk back as he releases me. His expression, when I looked up at him, was grim almost like he was about to explode in anger. But he simply looked away, claws digging into the bark.    
  
“That won’t stop me from getting one still you know.” He looks at me from the corner of his eye.    
  
<I just wanted to be clear that I will never find you romantically, sexually, or even personally attractive.> I began to back away as he rises from his seat, glaring down at me.    
  
“You are rather snippy today.” I could hear the growl in his voice as he spoke. It was obvious he was about to become enraged.    
  
I knew when to stop.    
  
<Forgive me Sub-Visser Five but that is a sore spot for me still.> I nervously scuffed a back hoof wondering if he was going to accept my apology.    
  
His tail lashes as he sits back down, clearly accepting. It would seem he still thought Dak had abandoned me. But Dak wouldn’t do that, I knew that much.

 

“Why not just forget him and instead give your affection to your master instead?” He sighs heavily after saying this, claws thrumming rhythmically on the bark as he does. He eyes me from tail tip to stalk before meeting my eyes with a blank expression.   
  


<Because he didn’t abandoned me.> I snapped, settling on my haunches. I then lowered myself to the ground laying down.    
  
“It’s sad that you keep tricking yourself with that thought.” I could feel a prickle of annoyance at how  _ certain  _ he sounded. But it didn’t matter, I knew that he was wrong.    
  
<So what did you bring me in here for?> I asked, hoping to move the conversation onto something else.    
  
“I was hoping to spend some time with you but it would seem that you are too fractious for that.” He sighed again, though he was glaring at me now as well. I pricked my fur along my haunches but said nothing back. There was no way I was going to get out of that one without angering him.    
  
“Aldrea I’ll give you one chance to come here of your own accord and curl up at my feet.” He taps the ground with a foot, smiling at me smugly.    
  


I got up which made his face light up in excitement but that look quickly turned to a frown as I turned around with my hindquarters facing him. I then pointedly laid down again, ignoring his request.    
  
The sub-visser audibly clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth before settling back into his chair. “Fine, I might as well get some work done while I’m here then. Stupid andalite…”   
  
I turn a stalk on him noticing that several screens were popping up in front of him. This primitive yeerk computer didn’t move as quickly as our technology but it was entertaining for once to watch the screens flip at a ridiculously slow speed.

  
I couldn’t read most of the text considering where I was sitting but it was mostly supply reports and the such. Sub-visser work apparently.    
  
I settle down, closing my eyes as I listened to the hum of the computer behind me. I could feel myself slowly fall asleep as the monotonous atmosphere. But just as I completely fell asleep an alarm snapped me back to full wakefulness.    
  
I hopped to my hooves looking around nervously before my gaze settles on his computer. I turn a stalk on the sub-visser as he barks at the computer to open the communication channel.    
  
The first thing that popped up on screen was several andalite ships maneuvering amoungst the yeerk ships swarming them. Despite being outnumbered it looked like they were cutting down the obviously slower ships with ease.    
  
My hearts skip as I realized that they had finally come to burn all of these filthy yeerks out of existence. But the sub-visser was furious as he roars at the screen.    
  
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE MORE COMING OUT OF Z-SPACE. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?”    
  
The screen flickers to a young hork-bajir… no they were a controller now… who replied that the detectors seemed to have failed to pick them up exiting Z-space. Suddenly his ship rocked heavily and the communication was cut short.  It was obvious that it had be either disabled or distroyed.    
  
Good riddance, a few less yeerks is always good.   
  
<They’re here!> I said elated returning my thoughts to the subject at hand. They all had finally come!  <Here to kill you all!>   
  
That got the sub-visser to his feet. He stiffly walks over to me before leaning down towards my face, breathing out heavily as he does.   
  
“We’ll see about that Aldrea.” He turned his gaze towards the screen before he looked down at me again, a cruel smile twisting his features. I had no idea why he was smiling about his demise. Did he want to die?   
  
“It looks like I’ll be having my host sooner than later.” He chuckles, brushing his fingers across my ears. I felt my stomachs clench as I pull my head away from his fingers. I glared up at him before taking a step back.    
  
That wouldn’t be happening. A warrior would rather die than give up his body to a yeerk and he will make sure of it if he was about to be captured. No, he won’t be getting his host.    
  
Though something deep down told me that I could be entirely wrong. I just hoped that I wasn’t.   
  
“You stay here and try not to break into my computer… actually.” He walks over to his main computer. He flips open the hatch to the main power before pulling it out. He then smiles at me as he walks past, carrying the power core.    
  
“I will be back my little andalite slave. Hopefully with a new body if I’m lucky.” He chuckles gleefully before swaggering out the door. All I could do was glare at him, hoping he was wrong.


	9. Dak Hamee

DAK HAMEE

 

The andalite have come but… 

Here I was sitting in a tree watching them mill about. Doing nothing really but watching them. Nothing more, nothing less.   
  
I couldn’t contact them because I could be a yeerk… at least to them. I also had already witnessed their arrogance once they had landed. If Aldrea was egotistical then these andalites must be something worse than that. Listening to them speak was confirming that maybe I shouldn’t even try to. 

I overheard a conversation about how  _ my  _ people were  _ lucky  _ that they had even come to help. I got the idea that they were only doing this for moral superiority. Different from Aldrea’s own vengeful motivations.   
  
But I needed their help because I knew very well that we can’t win on our own. The little army I had been gathering wasn’t sufficient enough to face the yeerks on their own. But it was nice freeing my people from their slavers. So far I had released around a hundred.    
  
But that certainly wasn’t enough. Not even close to enough to put up much of a fight.   
  
I focused my gaze on what I assume to be their leader. I forgot what Aldrea called them though but they did have a rank name, like the yeerks. But either way, this andalite exuded an air of power.    
  
Finally I grew tired of sitting there watching the andalites and left back to the valley. I needed to formulate a plan that wouldn’t get me killed instantly. But so far each idea had led to a dead end. Well… except for one of course.    
  
I could let them capture me and had them keep me for three days. Perhaps then I could prove I’m not a yeerk and then maybe we might negotiate. But the thought of wasting three days on just proving that I wasn’t a yeerk wasn’t feasible. I don’t have time to waste. 

<Yeerk!> I flinch, stopping half-way up the tree. I craned my neck around before letting out a sigh of relief. They weren’t talking about me but another hork-bajir that was already darting away. I couldn’t tell if they were a controller to not, but they certainly did rile up the andalites.    
  
Already they were grouping together and holding up their weapons to take aim at the fleeing hork-bajir. Some fired off a few shots but each one missed.    
  
Seeing as I might be next, I quickly head up into the canopy. Getting captured might not be a good idea. Especially if they were that happy to shoot someone. Maybe I should come back tomorrow and see how much they’ve settled down.   
  


* * *

 

I sat in the same tree again staring down at the camp the andalites were starting to make. It made me wonder why they would make their camps out in the open like this. I do remember Aldrea at one point telling me that her kind easily got claustrophobic.

I settled back on my branch carefully watching their leader mill about, looking like he was just doing nothing. Occasionally he would stop and stalk to another andalite but other then that he wasn’t doing much. It was starting to get boring watching the andalites now.    
  
Done spying for the day I start getting up, brushing the leaves aside so I can leave without being noticed. Just as I start taking a step a flash of blue blasts by me and a tree branch above me bursts into flames.    
  
I back away from the searing fire before quickly scrambling up to another branch. Of course it wasn’t long until I heard an andalite snap at me.    
  
< _ Don’t  _ move yeerk. Not if you want to combust like that branch did.> I flinch as I cling to the branch, scratching at the bark with my back feet as I tried to get a hold. Once I did I craned my neck to look down at the andalites. They were quickly gathering in a group below my tree.    
  
The group parts as their leader strides up to the tree, puffed up like a chadoo during a cold day. 

<So yeerk, you didn’t think we would notice?> He sneers, pulling out his own weapon to aim at me. <Come down slowly and I might not fry you right away.>   
  
I dryly swallow before slowly backing down the tree. Once my feet hit the ground I feel the cold barrel of a shredder pressed into my lower back. I freeze not even daring to turn my head towards them. I knew that  _ these  _ guys were not going to hesitate to kill me if I do something they didn’t like.    
  
<So tell me yeerk->   
  
“I am not a yeerk.” I mumbled, interrupting their leader. I flinched as the barrel presses firmly into my lower back making me suck in a nervous breath. 

< _ Right _ . Now tell me what you are doing here. Spying on us?> I turn my head just enough to look at their leader. I was a bit surprised that he was smaller than me by a good few inches. I was expecting him to be larger.

“You could say.” I clamped my mouth closed as he slips his finger over the trigger.    
  
<I  _ should  _ kill you yeerk but… we need information. So you’ll be coming with me  _ quietly _ and you’ll be giving us the information we want.> He jabs the shredder into my back before pulling it away. I got the idea that he was going to let me backup so I do so. No reason to anger them right now.   
  
“Gladly, I’ve been waiting quite a while to talk to you.” I felt the smallest bit of satisfaction at their stunned expressions. But I knew I hadn’t gotten their trust just yet. This was probably going to be a battle to get them to.   
  
<Good, now get going.> The leader sounded slightly nervous as he and several warriors surrounded me. Two flanked me on each side, one stood behind me, and the leader stood in front. I was flattered that they really thought I was that much of a threat.    
  
I walked with them quietly, glancing between the warriors at my sides and their leader. I was trying to gauge what they were feeling but andalites tend to be not as expressive. I thought being around Aldrea might help but it would seem she was an expressive andalite. But I digress.   
  
I take a moment to glance around their camp as we walked. I noticed how organized and neat it was, sort of like Aldrea’s scoop way back then. I would’ve been impressed by it all if it wasn’t a military base per say.    
  
<Get in.> The leader had stopped us in front of a scoop and motioned for me to go inside. I nod to him before taking a few steps in, the andalites behind me already covering the entrance. I wasn’t too concerned but I knew that if anything were to happen I won’t be getting out.    
  
I pause as my eyes adjusted to the dim light of the ‘scoop’. I found myself staring at a dark colored andalite male who quite frankly looked rather tough. Even his green eyes exuded power that I couldn’t really fathom. Was this their… true leader?   
  
<War-Prince Alloran, we’ve brought a prisoner. We caught them spying.> The ‘leader’- now that I’m questioning the legitimacy of that idea- steps in behind me.    
  
<I can see that Prince Nurill. Why else would you bring a  _ yeerk  _ into my scoop? Unbound as well. Are you mad?> The large andalite mumbles as he flexes his tail behind him. I flinch slightly as it swipes above his head before lowering back down.    
  
I turned my head to see this ‘Prince Nurill’ walking past me and in front of me before bowing his stalks. I could see the tension in his posture as he straightens up again. I was starting to wonder if I should be wary as well.    
  
<They have already agreed to divulge information to us. In fact they even said they were waiting to speak to us.> As Prince Nurill spoke, he turned a stalk around to look at me as he does. I keep my gaze steadily on the andalite in front of him wondering what he might do.    
  
<Oh have they?> War-Prince Alloran was already stepping around to walk up beside me. He gives me a cursory glance over once before letting out a snort as he walks around me. <So what do you have to tell me yeerk?>   
  
I suck in a breath knowing this was either going to save me or kill me. I needed to make everything the truth or as much of the truth as I can. 

“First of all, I am not a yeerk but a hork-bajir seer. Second of all, I am the leader of a group of free hork-bajir currently stationed down in the blue mist roughly sixty or so miles from here.” I noticed them glancing between each other as if they were speaking privately. The war-prince then returned his gaze to me, wrinkling his nose.    
  
<Continue.> He curtly said though he didn’t look impressed. Not that I was trying to impress him anyway.

“The current situation is this: I have currently one hundred and fifteen troops under me which is a considerably less amount than what we had a few months ago. The yeerks are currently building stations planet-wide, including one just two hundred miles from here. They are developing weapons from andalite technology and the technology of other species I can not identify. There is also ships being built including a new design we had learned is called a ‘Blade Ship’. What this ship is capable of I am not sure.” I suck in a breath glancing at them.    
  
They both were looking at me with equally shocked looks. The war-prince stomped a back hoof before looking back at the prince. They spend a minute staring at each other then looked back at me. I realized they were having a private conversation. 

<What of the female andalite?> The prince suddenly steps forward, eyes narrowing in curiosity. <Or do you not know who I’m speaking of?>

“Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan is her name. Yes I know of her fate.” My knees were starting to get weak and I felt slightly dizzy. This was all going so well but I had a feeling something was going to happen when I tell them of Aldrea’s fate.    
  
I knew Aldrea was still alive but I had no idea what was happening to her. I couldn’t get anywhere near the base she was at after the incident months ago. But maybe, just maybe, I might be able to with the andalite’s help. If they decide that it’s worth it of course.   
  
<Yes that is her name. What is her status?> The prince stomps a front hoof, leaning towards me slightly.    
  
“She is currently a captive of the yeerks.” I keep my eyes leveled with War-Prince Alloran’s.    
  
Slowly a look of horror spreads across his face, stalk eyes widening while his main ones remain the same. His back hoof scrapes against the ground as he breathes out heavily. <Is she infested?>   
  
“No, not that I know of. She is currently being held captive by the yeerks when I last saw her. She was… missing her tail and had very serious wounds.” I could see the war-prince’s tail starting to twitch as he steps back from me. I could tell this deeply troubled him but didn’t seem to anger him.    
  
<Where is the base she is being held at?> War-Prince Alloran collected himself again, stepping towards me with his tail raised.    
  
“I can show you where she is.” I replied before quickly adding. “But I highly recommend that you prepare yourselves.”   
  
To my surprise War-Prince Alloran laughs. <I’m not planning on rescuing her anytime soon. She is the lowest priority at this current moment. But I will make note of which base we shoul->   
  
“The base she is at holds the planet’s Visser. I highly recommend attacking there first considering one of their leaders are there.” I cut him off before he could finish, feeling angry almost enraged by his answer. 

Did he not care that one of his own people were a captive? Lowest priority?! What else could they be doing?    
  
<Well then…> He looked irritated that I had cut him off. I didn’t care.

Alloran stepped towards Nurill before he motioned towards the other andalite. They spent a few minutes in total silence, speaking to one another. Nurill stomped his hooves a few times and Alloran waved his tail in response. Were they having an argument?

Alloran returned his attention back to me.    
  
<Very well, that has moved it to our highest.> Alloran concluded crossing his arms over his broad chest. <Give us three days to prepare.>   
  
“Very well then. If I may I would like to return to my people.” I start turning away but was stopped by the war-prince’s tail getting in the way of my legs.    
  
<It takes three days for a yeerk to starve. You will be staying with us yeerk->   
  
“Dak Hamee. My name is Dak Hamee.” Of course they would! I was slightly bitter that things had been going well up until now. I couldn’t stay but I knew that if I tried to protest they might decide to do something else with me. Something not good for my health.

<Dak Hamee then. You will be under constant guard up until the end of the third day. Then once you have proven what you have been saying isn’t a lie then we will launch the attack.> Alloran waves us off and Nurill leads us out.    
  
<Let’s hope for your sake you haven’t been lying. But if you aren’t then everything will be fine.> Once again we were surrounded by andalites who looked nervous of me still. Not that I can blame them. I was probably still an enemy in their minds.    
  
“I look forward to working with the andalites then.” I politely replied despite not really doing so.    
  
<Good, good. Hope this will be worth it then.> It was starting to get pretty obvious that he was uncomfortable. Maybe having a casual conversation with a supposed ‘yeerk’ might do that.    
  
“Where will I be kept then?” I asked, looking around. It didn’t look like they had a place to hold prisoners at the moment. But then again, they were a small task force from what I had heard. Hopefully this wasn’t the only andalites coming.

<We’ll find you a place.> Nurill’s left ear suddenly flicks as he gazes at me from the corner of his right stalk eye. <So there are others of your kind nearby?>   
  
“If you mean other free Hork-Bajir, then yes.”  I noticed that he was leading me to the heart of the camp. Not at all surprising, it’s far more protected.    
  
<You’re smart for a Hork-Bajir.> Nurill stops in the middle of camp, looking around with his stalks. I did the same, turning my head from side to side. I noticed a few andalites standing around nearby staring at us. I could see contempt in several of their gazes.    
  
“I am a seer that’s why. An anomaly. Different.” I was starting to get uneasy. More andalites were starting to gather around us. Nurill stared at me for a few moments, eyes curling into a smile. I was starting to get the idea he might actually be a lot more friendly than he first seemed.

<Well Dak Hamee, if you really are not a yeerk, then you will have nothing to worry about. We won’t hurt an ally.> He leads me into a small scoop, motioning for me to go inside. I duck down as I enter the small scoop, grunting as I realize I would need to continue to duck inside.    
  
<This’ll be a temporary place for you to stay.> He unhooks his holster from his waist before carefully dropping it on a cloth table in the corner. I sit down on my rump, not really wanting to continue to stand. It would probably make my neck sore after a bit.    
  
“It looks like someone already lives here.” It was something I was starting to realize after a few moments. There were pictures of what looked to be the andalite beside me with a single smaller andalite and one that was only slightly smaller than him. In another was just of the small andalite. “Is it your’s?”   
  
He casually glanced over at me before he dipped his stalks. <As I said, it’s temporary. I don’t think you’re a yeerk at this point so I’m not so unwilling to share my space for a little bit.>   
  
I felt surprised that he was already trusting me. Maybe I really had been thinking of him wrongly. Perhaps he was rude because he thought I was an andalite.    
  
“Who are they?” I motioned towards the pictures with a hand, trying to be nice. I know from talking to Aldrea that andalites were very family oriented. Even to the point that parents had a say in a lot of things in their children’s lives, including what careers they can have or what mates they can take. It was all too odd.   
  
<My daughter and my wife.> He replied shifting his tail slightly so that it rests on his hip. He looked to be relaxed now.    
  
“They look rather smart.” I tipped my head at the photos as I examined them further. I didn’t have much other compliments than that. What do you even say?   
  
<I know.> He curled his eyes into a smile at me before he turned away again. <Now then, I’ll be back later to check on you. I must feed now.>   
  
He was already starting to back away to the door. I nod slightly though I didn’t really feel comfortable being left alone in his own home. For my people leaving a guest alone in your home was considered rude. But I knew I wasn’t a guest but a captive. 

But still I was uncomfortable but I tried not to show or say anything about it. He probably didn’t care much about my comfort right now.   
  
<There are two guards outside so don’t try to leave. I wouldn’t put it past them to try and fry you if you do.> With that he casually steps out and disappears out of sight. For a moment I see a pair of andalites standing on either side of the flaps but as they closed, they went out of view.    
  
Now that he was gone, I relaxed and leaned on my tail. Well things were at least going well but I knew my people would be rather worried if I didn’t return tonight. All I can hope they won’t come looking for me. The last thing I need is conflict between us and the andalites.

Sighing, I look out the flap wondering what to do to occupy myself.

 

End of chapter


	10. Dak Hamee

It had been a long three days.

The thing that made it the longest was the many reports of my own people showing up in the area only to be chased off by the andalites. I knew this would happen but I still hoped it wouldn’t. Being stuck inside my own scoop as per the agreement made it even worse. 

Alloran had been taunting me the whole time as well. I could tell that he was looking for a fight and he thought that by insulting me he could instigate one. I had a lot more patience than that.

<So, you have been telling the truth.> Nurill was the first to greet me when I left the small cloth scoop on my own. I was a bit relieved that it hadn’t been that War-Prince Alloran who had done so. I didn’t think I could handle his dismissive, and quite frankly, infantilizing attitude. 

“Now will you allow my people to join us?” That was the very first thing out of my mouth. Nurill blinked a few times looking a bit stunned before he slowly dips his head at me. I could tell he was a bit uncomfortable at the idea of letting them join us.    
  
<I’ll speak to Alloran… well we both can. He wishes to see us.> Nurill strides forward as the andalites that had gathered around broke apart. I could feel their gazes still on me as we left to the War-Prince’s scoop.    
  
I was still a bit surprised by how powerful he felt as we entered his scoop. I had the suspicion he was intentionally doing it. I hadn’t the slightest clue why but it was obvious he was doing something. Nurill decided to stay behind while I spoke to him. For some reason he looked eager to leave which made me very uneasy.   
  
<Good to see that we have allies then.> Alloran steps around his desk, nose wrinkling. I stared at him wondering if he simply wasn’t happy that I wasn’t a yeerk. I could tell he was itching to go after yeerks.

“I’m glad that you are accepting.” Though I had a feeling he really wasn’t. He probably saw us more as a liability than a asset or maybe not good enough to fight with andalites.    
  
<I am sure you wish to return to your people now right?> He crosses his arms over his chest as he looks up at me, smiling smugly.    
  
“Actually that is the one thing I want to talk about with you. I was thinking I could bring them here instead. Being in the trees would be far more beneficial for the both of us. You won’t have to worry about danger in the trees and we’ll be in our natural habitat again.” I was trying to be diplomatic but I knew the moment he starts sneering or disagrees I wasn’t going to keep calm.

<I believe I will need to think on that. I am not quite sure it would be safe for either of our people if we start mixing.> Well at least it wasn’t a yes or a no. But I wondered if it was more of the andalites being dangerous than my own people being dangerous. It would seem likely.    
  
“Very well then.” I kept my tone even despite my annoyance. I should’ve known that he probably wouldn’t agree right away.    
  
<Now for the yeerk base. We are prepared to leave as long as your people are.> Alloran seemed to straighten up as his eyes curled into a smile. I felt a shiver run down my spine but I nodded.    
  
“Just give me two hours and I will be back.” I start walking by him but he stops me with his tail.   
  
<You have an hour or we are going to leave.> He narrows his eyes before flicking his tail away from me. I felt the corner of my eye twitch slightly at his smug expression. Who does he think he is telling me what to do?   
  
“Very well then.” Now I was finding it hard to keep my irritation under control. He had to be the most irritating andalite around. But I kept my mouth clamped shut and turned away to return back to my people.    
  
The first tree I encountered I climbed with renewed vigor, feeling at home again. I felt far better being up here than down there. But there wasn’t time to enjoy myself right now. 

I turned my head in the direction of home and leapt.

 

* * *

 

“Dak back!” Was the first thing that greeted me as I came into view of our camp. I glanced around quietly watching as everyone began to gathering around, calling out to me happily.    
  
I breathed in deep, knowing that I was about to bring them into what could possibly be a horrifying battle. One that I knew was for selfish reasons. One that could get many of us killed.

I almost laughed to myself as I realized how far I was sinking. I was becoming Aldrea now wasn’t I?

“Where Dak go?” An older female calls before the others echoed the same question unnecessarily.    
  
“I have come in contact with the andalites.” I shift from foot to foot noticing their surprised looks. “We have come to an agreement as well. They will help us in return for the information I had given them.”   
  
I sighed in relief as they simply smiled back. Though I had a feeling they didn’t quite understand what I had said right then. But it didn’t matter, they would listen to me either way.

“They had sent me back to gather my troops. We will be attacking the yeerks.” I breathe in listening to their excited murmurs and glances of delight. Delight that shouldn’t be on the faces of my people at the thought of killing. 

“Do as Dak do!” I snapped my head in the direction of the one who had spoken, surprised. I had not heard that in months. How could one of my own remember that?   


I couldn’t find who had shouted that but in the end, I shook it off. I knew we needed to go now and they probably didn’t need an explanation. They would more than likely to follow me anyway. 

I glanced around at my people, wondering if I should go back alone or take them with me. I knew this battle would end with many of us either getting captured or killed. I knew I was about to bring them into a fight that I wanted for selfish reasons. 

I was absolutely disgusting.

“Come!” I shouted, turning away. I could hear them gather up around me as I ran, heading for the lip of the valley. 

By the time we reached the andalites, they were preparing their ships and weapons for battle. It took me a moment to spot War-Prince Alloran trotting back and forth waving his tail around like he couldn’t take a head off doing so. 

I felt my nose wrinkle in disgust at him. He was far more arrogant than Aldrea that was for sure.    
  
“Wait here.” I called to my people. I stopped just as I start climbing down, noticing they were mostly staying back out of view of the andalites. I smiled at their cleverness before descending the tree.

It didn’t take me long to meet up with Alloran who looked surprised to see me. He must’ve expected me not to ever come back. But he had underestimated me it would seem.   
  
<So you have gathered your soldiers then?> He asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest while he tipped his head back to look me in the eyes. My mouth twitches for a moment but I nodded.   
  
<Good, then you’ll be the first wave. It’s better to surprise them with our attack than your’s.> He smirked and I frowned. 

Arrogant!

“Very well then.” I was tempted to disagree considering I would lose more people in the initial attack. But I knew that arguing with him wouldn’t get me anywhere.    
  
<Good, now get going.> He turned away and left. 

I let out a low growl before turning away, returning to my people. It only took a moment before I was running through the trees with my people behind me. I heard ships taking off behind me alerting me that the andalites were already prepared as well.    
  
The yeerk base came into sight and we slowed down. I told my people to stay while I go and look. Once they had scattered into different hiding places I moved forward quietly.

The base was surprisingly quiet, controllers milling about doing whatever the yeerks did. My gaze sweeps across the field as I tried to assess the situation. But really, I was seeing if Aldrea was out and if she might get caught in the fight. 

I was relieved that I had just caught her disappearing into one of the facilities being escorted by another controller.    
  
Satisfied I returned to my people before nodding to them, mouth turned into a grim expression while I gathered them again. I led them to the edge of the trees and breathed in deep.    
  
“FIGHT.” I roared which made several controllers look up at us, expressions turning to acute shock. My people leapt forward, climbing down the trees in a frenzy. I watched as the first hork-bajir come in contact with the first stunned controller and slashed their throat open with a single swipe of their wrist blade.

Then the base exploded into battle.

“ROGUES.” A controller screeched before he was tackled to the ground and promptly dispatched by a hork-bajir’s blade. Yeerks began flooding off the platforms, taking up their weapons while others decided to simply fight with their own blades.

I scurried down the tree knowing that I couldn’t say back while my people fought. The first controller I came into contact with met me at the bottom of the tree. He had his back turned to me so it was only a matter of slicing the back of his neck to disable him.   
  
I hopped over the controller’s crumpled body before rushing forward, roaring. I was tackled from the side and rolled before kicking the controller off of me. I get to my feet before lunging towards them, blades slashing the air. I cut a deep wound in his chest before he cut one just on my shoulder. I jumped forward and tackled him to the ground.

He tried to squirm away but that left his throat exposed. I lunged forward and dug my sharp beak into the skin. With a single pull of my head, the flesh on the throat tears off filling my mouth with warm blood.    
  
Gagging, I spat out the blood and skin before wipping my mouth as I watched the controller on the ground squirm and gasped. I left disgusted, looking for another target. But it didn’t take me long to realize that we were quickly getting overwhelmed.

Where were the andalites?   
  
Suddenly a flash of blue strikes one of the facilities, bursting it into flames. This was enough to stun the yeerks and distract a few of them from the battle. 

A pair of andalite ships flew over head shooting down some platforms on their way. The bushes around us burst apart as the andalites run onto the battlefield. The controllers let out yells of both anger and confusion before they were met with the wall of andalites.

That was when the base became pure chaos. 

A flash of purple coming oug from one of the burning buildings caught my eye as I turned to join the battle. I quickly snap my head towards it, my breath catching in my throat.   
  
“Aldrea!” I cried, seeing her standing in the middle of the battlefield. Her stalks snapped towards me and her eyes grew wide as she focuses them on me.    
  
<Dak?> She called out to me in disbelief. I smiled, feeling my legs go weak as I rapidly climbed down the tree, ignoring the fighting around me. All I could think about was reaching Aldrea. 

“Don’t move! I’ll be right there.” I flinched as I noticed several andalites already focusing on Aldrea as well. Though they only did so for a moment then were distracted by yeerks coming to fight them. They would be too busy to get to her it would seem. 

More yeerks were already pouring out of the base as it was fired upon by several andalite fighters. Metal hissed and melted into a puddle as beams collided with it. Yeerk fighters were quickly disabled by well aimed shots but horrifyingly enough, more were taking off than being destroyed. 

I looked around me as I landed on the ground, shocked to see that the andalites were quickly becoming overwhelmed by the yeerks. I knew we would be retreating soon but the damage we had caused would weaken them. This was the goal for now.    
  
But my goal was to get to Aldrea.    
  
I took off at a sprint heading towards her with a smile. I was going to reach her! I was going to free her finally!

 

I could hardly stop myself from wrapping my arms around her once I reached her. Aldrea’s face lit up in shock before slowly melting into a smile. <Dak you really did come.>   
  
“I wouldn’t have left you to live in misery.” I said, letting go as I felt a bit embarrassed. She reaches forward before carefully taking my hand in her’s, her gaze gentle as she looked up at me.

I felt my hearts starting to thrum inside of my chest as the simple touch of her hand made me tremble. She starts pulling up my hand to her face but thought better of it before letting it go. She shakes her stalks before just sighing.   
  
“I’m glad you’re alive.” I breathed out, pulling my hand against my side. I noticed her looking around with her stalks while she kept her main eyes on me.    
  
<We must leave Dak, if he catches us he’ll kill you!> Aldrea was already starting to back away from me. Her stalks were wildly searching around as if she expected whoever she was talking about to show up.   
  
“He can try.” I growled but followed after her. Despite her ominous words, the feeling of being reunited with her kept me smiling.    
  
Aldrea glances back at me before looking forward. I saw the unease in her eyes in that moment. She didn’t believe I could!   
  
<SHOOT HER.> Those words made my blood go cold as I realized who they were talking about.    
  
That was Alloran, I knew that voice from anywhere. I thought he was planning on saving her! Not killing her!

Scum!

A quick search around and I found him slicing off a controller’s hand, flicking blood into the eyes of the next one that came up, to blind them. Despite him being focused on several yeerks, he had his main eyes focused on Aldrea herself. Even from here I saw the horror and disgust he had for her as he looked down at us.

A conversation with Aldrea when we first met suddenly came up making me realize why he was killing her. He saw her as a cripple and cripples were considered sub-andalite and shameful. He was getting rid of what he saw as a shameful andalite who was a prisoner of his own enemies. 

Aldrea begins to back away but stops as another andalite blocks her path. Her eyes grew wide as she slowly backs away from new, twitchy andalite warrior into me. Her stalks quivered before her expression slowly sank into a grim look, her own bladeless tail lifting.    
  
Why wasn’t she morphing?! Why wasn’t she morphing!?

The warrior lifts his own, making his intentions much more clear. He wasn’t going to shoot her, he probably was going to decapitate her. 

“NO!” I knew I wouldn’t be able to save her from them. They would easily kill us both, if not by their weapons but by their deadly tails!

A flash of red suddenly lights up the warrior’s head before his body falls, a smoking stump in place of where his head was. Aldrea slowly backs off, her tail curling around her body as she looks around with her stalks. 

There was another flash of red as the warrior looks down at his companion’s body stunned. His own body crumpled to the floor the top half of his head missing.

That had to be a yeerk that killed him. There was no way one of the andalites would do this to their own.

“Aldrea!” I snap my head in the direction of the shout, seeing a controller trotting up to us, weapon still on his shoulder. Aldrea turns away then runs away from them. The controller began chasing her, calling out her name angrily. 

I began to realize I had stopped in the middle of the battlefield, too absorbed watching Aldrea. That was a deadly mistake. 

A controller slams into my side and we were sent rolling across the ground with me bellowing in shock. I kick hard into the controller’s stomach feeling my claws dig into their flesh. With a single pull down, his stomach ripped open before warm blood washes over my stomach before some of his intestines began to slither out.    
  
That was enough to stun the controller long enough to kick him off. A snarl leaves my beak before I stomp down onto the back of the controller who was groaning pitifully on the ground.    
  
There was a sharp crack and I stepped back, feeling sick. I turned away before jogging off to look for Aldrea. Where had she gone off to?

It wasn’t long before I spotted her purple coat amongst the writhing mass of andalites and hork-bajir.    
  
She was backed up against a building with an andalite male in front of her. Her chin was lifted in defiance as the warrior presses the barrel of the shredder against her head. I could see discomfort flashing in her eyes as the warrior smiles, motioning towards her.    
  
She jerks away from him, stomping a hoof before slapping away the gun. But the warrior seemed to just sigh before pressing it against her head again. Aldrea’s expression remained more annoyed than afraid. 

“Well, well it looks like I found my host body.” Suddenly just above them was the hork-bajir from before. His muzzle twists into a cruel smirk before he raises his own shredder, twisting the settings down to stun more than likely.    
  
<Yeerk filth!> I jerked as I realized that was  _ Alloran’s  _ voice. Alloran had come to finish the job himself it would seem. He really was scum.   
  
I was tempted to leave him to his fate but I knew better. We needed him just as much as the other andalites.

I was a moment too late when I started sprinting towards them. There was a flash of red before Alloran’s body collapses onto the ground in a pile, frozen with a look of hatred. Aldrea’s face was one of horror as she stares down at the paralyzed War-Prince.    
  
The controller hops down from the roof and turn then looks up. Surprise lit up his face as he met his eyes with my own. I skidded to a stop as I realized that I would be captured as well or killed. 

Torn between trying to fight him or running, I stood still as the controller’s face twisted into a cruel smile. Aldrea’s eyes snapped to my own before she glares at me.    
  
<JUST LEAVE.> She cried before the controller slams his hand on her body, pushing her into the metal wall roughly. She let out a cry of pain before squirming away from him.    
  
He twisted the setting on the dracon beam. I turn and ran knowing that this would be a fight not worth losing. I dashed across the field, hopping over bodies and dodging others locked in battle. The scent of blood was strong now.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my leg before I collapsed forward, pain searing through my right leg. I sucked in a breath before looking down to see that half of my thigh was missing. I then looked up again, my breathing quickening while I watched the controller walk towards me.    
  
“It looks like you lose seer.” He purrs, stepping on my back before aiming the weapon at the back of my head. I sucked in a breath before screwing my eyes shut waiting for the pain. 

There was a sharp flash of red and then agonizing pain at the side of my neck just as I heard the controller yell in shock. Pain throbbed at my throat as my mind swirled. I could feel myself slowly passing out. I lowered my head onto the ground as I closed my eyes.

I had failed.

I’m sorry Aldrea, but I had failed.

Just as I went under, I heard someone screaming my name and a pair of hands grabbing on to me.

  
  


  
  


  
  



	11. Esplin 9466

We had to flee our base in the end, the damage was great. But this was only temporary until we can reinforce its defences. For now we had to take refuge on a ship with the rest of the fleet until Visser Nine finds us a base to dock at until further notice.

Though that didn’t matter to me, I had gotten what I wanted out of that battle.  


“Finally!” I looked into the eyes of my soon-to-be host, carefully inspecting his features with a grin plastered across my face. I turned his head this way and that, admiring the suppleness of his fur and the hardness of the muscles on his face. He was the perfect host for me! He _screamed_ power.   
  
<DON’T TOUCH ME YEERK!> He struggled against his bonds, snorting at me while stomping his feet like a petulant child. But it wasn’t like he could hurt me anyway. With his tail bound as it is, the worst he could do is possibly kick me. But that wasn’t much either.   
  
“Good, keep fighting. It’ll just make things that more interesting.” I released his head before turning my head towards a pair of soldiers waiting nervously nearby. I could tell that being near a live andalite was unsettling. That only further solidified my need to infest this fool of an andalite.   
  
<I will KILL you yeerk.> He started kicking and bucking again while yanking on his tail in a futile attempt to pull it out of the chains.   
  
“Oh I’m sure you will.” I laughed, amused.   
  
“Alright, hold him down. There is no point in using a pool for this one.” I leaned in close to him as one of my guards nervously took their places on either side of the andalite. His eyes grew wild and wide as his nostrils flared. His struggles grew more furious as he began to yell in thought speak.   
  
I leaned in as a third guard grabs my arms and pins them against my back. For a moment I felt unease by being held like this but I forced myself to focus on my task.

I could feel his breath billowing on my neck as I pressed my ear against his. It only took me a moment to disengage from my host’s brain before quickly crawling down the ear canal.

Cool air hits me as I reached the outside. I felt around with my palps until I found another opening and with the eagerness I had with infesting Aldrea, I entered. It was noticeably wider in this andalite’s ear canal, especially in comparison to Aldrea. Perhaps the size difference between the two was for that.   
  
I flinched as I touched something alive with electricity but then I eagerly shoved the rest of my body into the main cranial cavity, making contact with the brain itself. I felt delight as I slowly sank into those lovely wrinkles and melted. As I wiggled myself into the rest of his brain, I opened up his memories to look around.

His memories were different than I had expected. Something about them were scrambled even wild in the way they progressed. Almost as if the andalite himself was volatile. But the further I searched into his memories the more that this idea solidified.

Yes… Alloran-Semitur-Corrass was certainly wild. Fascinatingly so.

‘ _GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT.’_

I would’ve flinched in surprise at the voice suddenly screaming under me and the amount of mental pressure being applied to my own if I could. Yes this andalite was attempting to disrupt me but those efforts were futile. But I was glad that he was going to fight me. Crushing him would certainly be more satisfying if he fights me.   
  
‘ _Oh please, there is no point in trying to do that. You’ve already lost Alloran.’_

I felt a mental jerk of surprise from my host before his brain begins to move quickly, searching for another way to stop me. But I laughed at the ideas he was getting, knowing that there was no way of getting rid of me now. He was mine until our very deaths.

With a sigh of delight, I opened my hosts eyes and glanced around. So much sharper! So much more colorful! Yes, these were the eyes I longed for.

<Alright, I am in control. Now unchain me!> I moved my legs, testing each one for a moment. I noticed how much heavier and more muscled they were than Aldrea’s. Powerful!

Once they had freed me from my chains I stepped forward, lifting my tail. Everyone in the room backed off, eyeing my tail with a nervousness that brought me pleasure. They already knew how dangerous I was.

“Sub-Visser Five?” I turned a stalk around, happy that I was able to do so. It felt so much better than a hork-bajir!

A hork-bajir controller moves from his spot beside me, nervously motioning towards my old host body. “Shall we dispose of him?”  
  
<Please do.> I replied with a snort, already making my way to the door. I couldn’t help but walk with a slight swagger to my steps. The door slides open and just as I stepped out into the hallway, I nearly stepped on Visser Nine’s toes.   
  
“So you have captured one!” He was quick to step back to avoid having a sharp hoof dig into his foot, a grin spreading across his face. I felt my haunch fur starting to rise up in response to his smile. Ugh, why did he need to smile like that?   
  
My host seemed equally as unsettled as I was. There certainly was something to Visser Nine that unsettled a lot of people. Even an andalite like Alloran.

“So how does your new body feel? It certainly looks strong.” His greedy gaze sweeps across my new body. I felt my tail lifting slightly in response to it.

<Just as I would imagine. A strong weighty War-Prince with a tail to match his strength.> I crossed my arms over my chest, smugly smiling at him. I did feel the slightest bit of pleasure at his surprised expression.  
  
“Your host is a War-Prince?! What does he know?” Visser Nine drew himself up, returning to a professional attitude. Good.

<I will write a report after I search my host’s memories.> At this point all I wanted to do was return to Aldrea and show off this body to her. Perhaps this would be enough to make her give in to me. Though at the thought of actually showing off her would-be murder made me think that perhaps it wouldn’t be a good idea.

But one won’t know until one tried.   
  
“Ah, how long will that take.” He frowned a bit, narrowing his eyes. He must’ve already figured out I was planning on returning her Aldrea. Why couldn’t he just lust after another yeerk? Why did he have to bother me?   
  
<An hour or so. I will make sure of it.> I stiffened a bit, realizing that maybe I should wait after all. Aldrea was probably still sobbing over that filth that was her pet Hork-bajir.

“Good, good. I look forward to it.” His expression relaxed before he stepped around me, his mouth curling into a smile. “See you soon.”  
  
I watched as he made his way down the hall and disappears around the corner. I relaxed then continued on my way.

I paused at a window looking outside to the emptiness of space. For a moment I felt Alloran hiss at me that his people will come to kill me that they won’t allow this disgrace to continue on any further. But I simply shut him out, ignoring his futile threats.

I shook my stalks and made my way to my current private office. At least the Visser was kind enough to give me one. Though considering it was him, he probably was more than happy to. But once the door had slid open I noticed something piled.

I felt a moment of annoyance as I stomped towards the pile and snatched up what seemed to be bark. Why would they just toss it in the corner like that?! Who do they think I am!?

Though I tossed it back, snorting heavily through my nose, I had an idea pop into my head at that moment.   
  
I lift my tail and brought it down upon the pile of bark, cutting it clean in half as I do. A shiver of delight ran down my spine at the feeling of the bark merely splitting under my blade. My eyes curled into a smile as I happily began to cut the wood until it was just little tiny pieces on the floor.   
  
Now all I can imagine is the feeling of that blade cutting through flesh. The feeling of bone splitting in half and the sounds of it all.

I shivered.

Knowing that would happen someday, I turned back to my personal computer before walking to it.

After a few minutes of waiting for it to boot, I opened up a new message document before leaning back on my hind legs. Now time to search my host’s memories.

‘ _Don’t you dare.’_ Was the first thing that greeted me when I opened up his memories. I realized that it wasn’t himself who was speaking, since he was still trying to figure out a way to beat me. I was face to face with his brother who looked a good deal younger than an older brother should. But I almost groaned when I realized that I went too far back.

But curious I decide to play through the memory for a minute or two.  
  
‘ _What’s wrong Alloran? Since you’re going to go to the academy then why not?’ The lighter blue male was smirking at his brother._

_‘Seriously? Do you know what Father will do once he knows about it?!’_

Getting bored I moved the memory forward quickly. Apparently his older brother was planning on going off planet without the permission of his parents. Something about an academy that wasn’t for warriors.

I sighed and moved on to another memory. Once again I found myself not too far ahead but this time I could tell Alloran was a young adult. He had a young female pressed up against a tree as his fingers traced over her cheeks. The name _Nurellia_ flashes through my mind as he runs his fingers over her collar bone.   
  
As I moved through his memories I realized that he wasn’t a faithful male. Female after female, he only looked for physical pleasure more than emotional. It was apparent that when he was young he didn’t care about taking a mate. He only cared about sex.   
  
Though I lingered on a memory of a brilliant plum colored female with hauntingly blue eyes that curled beside Alloran. I could feel Alloran’s hearts beating like they had never beat before. No female had made him feel like she had.

_Jahar._

He did not marry her before he left the planet. He left with the promise and he even gave her land to show her that he planned on to. But sadly, I thought amused, he would never return to her.   
  
I sighed heavily, feeling myself replaying that scene over and over, enjoying the feelings that I gotten from it. Something close to how I felt for Aldrea but not quite like it.

Is that what they call… love? Is that how it felt?  
  
Was I in love with Aldrea?

I pushed away that thought, not wanting to have to deal with that kind of conflict. I knew I felt something for her that a normal yeerk wouldn’t but it couldn’t be that.

‘QUIT THAT!’ I realized that Alloran was seeing the same memory I was over and over. His terror and disgust at me exposing what he considered a pure memory was laughable.

‘ _Silence_ **_slave,_ ** _I will do as I please.’_ I snapped before digging again. I was irritated that he had broken my train of thought. So I pulled up some memories that might make him silent for a moment.

‘NO, NO, NO.’

Once again Alloran was slowly walking among the bodies of his warriors killed by my people on the my homeworld. His stomachs turned as he came upon the body of his friend, head broken in by a blunt weapon. He stared horrified as he took in the crushed stalks and protruding bones of the skull.   
  
Slowly he backed away, running off in the direction he had come from. He needed to tell someone. He just needed to get away and tell someone.

I laughed as I felt the war-prince cringe, going silent. I knew that memory was the first time he had seen actual, bloody death. Not the clean kind by weapon or tail. No, nothing like that.   
  
‘ _Good, now be quiet.’_ I left the war-prince to his whimpering as I returned back to digging through his thoughts and memories. But it was apparent that there wasn’t much to it.

Aldrea had sent out a distress signal and he was the first to arrive after being told that the hork-bajir planet was being invaded. He was more than happy to come and kill the yeerks that had killed his friends. The fool only walked into his own capture.

But I did get some information on where they are staying and how many they had. It was a pitiful few warriors and the base was hardly anything compared to what we had on the planet.

I snickered as I typed in what I had found out.   
  
‘YEERK FILTH, DISGUSTING FILTH.’ I flinched as Alloran started yelling at me as I sent my small report. Now that I no longer had that on my mind, I opened up his memories again and pushed him into that same battle over and over again.

He flinched but kept silent as he watched his memory. Though this time he wasn’t quite as afraid. So I switched to a pleasurable memory, delving him into a memory of his childhood with his mother.   
  
He relaxed but he was waiting for me to switch it again. But I left him to it, moving away from my desk as I do. I would distract him with his memories until I found a proper time to actually train him. But for now I only wished to return to Aldrea now.

Stretching out my powerful legs one by one, I smiled at the feeling of my muscles rippling under my fur. Ah yes, I absolutely love this body already. So strong, so powerful! A perfect body that matched me.

With a bit of a swagger in my step, I walked out of my office.

 

* * *

  
  
When the door to Aldrea’s new room opened I was greeted with the sight of her with her head pressed against a corner, eyes closed. I took a few steps forward before I realized that she was sleeping. Perhaps the day had finally worn her out enough to make her sleep. Good, she needed it.   
  
As quietly as possible I make my way to her. Once I reached her I noticed that she was twitching slightly in her sleep. I wondered if she was dreaming and if so, about what.  I felt my breath catch in my throat as I thought about how gentle she looked asleep.

Breathing out quietly, I carefully brush my finger over an ear. A tingle ran through my finger before up my arm and then tickled my brain. I realized that this whole time I had been doing this that I wasn’t getting the same feeling I was getting now while brushing her ears. It was obviously only a feeling that an andalite got when touching another.

What would it be like to kiss her then?

The memories of Alloran kissing made my palms tingle as I pulled them up. I could already imagine it but I wanted to do it myself. I wanted to kiss Aldrea myself.

Keeping my primary eyes directly on her face, I slip a hand over her cheek. Her body trembled under my touch just as my palms started to tingle, pleasantly so. I slowly rubbed the cheek cupped in my hand before slipping away.   
  
I noticed that my hand continued to tingle, even if I had pulled it away. I stared silently at her before backing away as I placed a hand over the heart in my upper body, noticing how quickly it pulsed.

  
What _was_ this?

I noticed her stirring, main eyes cracking open. I froze as those lovely yellow eyes alighted on my face before suddenly snapping open wide. I noticed movement in the corner of my right stalk and whipped my tail forward. I was surprised that I had caught her tail in mine.

My host was amazingly quick. I love it!

<WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!> She screamed. Her expression was fixed between fear and anger which made me twitch.   
  
<Aldrea, it’s just me.> I take a step back realizing that maybe it was best to give her some room. I pushed her tail away as I gazed into her eyes, trying to keep my expression neutral.   
  
<Just… SUB-VISSER FIVE.> She presses against the wall as if she was trying to get away from me. My breath catches in my throat as I realized that she was scared of me. What was wrong with her? Normally she would be angry but not afraid.   
  
<Yes, now pleased calm down.> I take a few more steps back, breathing out heavily. Great.   
  
<No, no, no…> She whimpers before ducking down into the wall, her tail curling against her body. <This isn’t happening.>   
  
<What isn’t?> Now I was curious.   
  
<You having an andalite host!> She suddenly snaps her eyestalks towards me. <You can’t! You just can’t! Impossible!>   
  
<Well here I am, with my andalite host.> I stomped a back hoof with a snort, now starting to get irritated. Great now was she going to give me trouble just over my host choice?

<GO AWAY AND DON’T TOUCH ME.> She screams suddenly collapsing into a pile on the floor. She covers her head in her arms before closing her eyes tightly. I take another step back, taken aback by her outbursts. Perhaps now wasn’t the best time to come to her with my host.   
  
<Very well, do you really want me to leave?> I asked, already turning towards the door.   
  
<OF COURSE. GO.> She roars, thumping her tail against the ground.   
  
<Fine! Then I hope you don’t mind not eating today!> I snapped back, losing my temper in an instant. I turned away before as noisily as possible, stomping out the door. I slammed the back of my tail into the button to shut the door.   
  
I flinched as the button gets jammed inside of the panel, permanently closing the door. I let out another snort as I stared at it. The anger was already slowly melting out of me as I stared at the broken button.   
  
‘Stupid fool!’ The sound of my host’s voice snaps my internal attention towards him. I realized that I hadn’t been playing a memory for him.

‘Shut up!’ I snapped back, already playing yet another memory for him. I didn’t want to even _bother_ correcting his behavior right now. No I was more interested in figuring out how to get Aldrea from having outbursts like that.

As I walked down the hall in search of a technician to fix the door I mulled it over. Perhaps it wasn’t best to approach her while she slept. Perhaps I had been the one who had done something wrong.

No that wasn’t possible.   
  
An idea suddenly pops into my mind as I looked up towards the ceiling with my stalks. My eyes unconsciously curled into a smile as I began to open up my host’s memories. Perhaps he might just be the thing I needed.   
  
After all, why not make use of such an experienced male?   
  
  



	12. Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan

He’s gone…

He really is gone…  
  
The memory of that battle kept playing over and over in my mind during my waking hours. But when I slept, I did find some peace. But that relief wasn’t enough, it would never help me. I couldn’t spend all of my day sleeping after all.  
  
But I wished I could.

There were two things that day made me realize.

One, I was expendable to my own people. They did not care about me nor wished to saved me. Actually they were quite willing to kill me.

Two, there was no getting away from Sub-Visser five now. There was no rescue now that Dak was gone. I've lost everything.

I felt myself curling into my body even further as I held back my emotional waves. I remembered the smell of his burnt flesh and the sigh of his throat being opened by dracon beam fire. Even as I was dragged away by the sub-visser, could see another Hork-bajir dragging him off as the others retreated.

The Andalites and the Hork-bajir have both lost their leader it would seem.

<Aldrea?> I opened my eyes again, slowly awakening from my haze to be confronted by the monster once more. Though this time it would seem the abomination had brought me something to eat. Lovely.  
  
<Go away.> I curled up again, intent on ignoring him now.

<Aldrea you need to eat.> A dark blue hoof lands right in front of my face, startling me. I jerked up and hit his chest before falling back down again, rubbing my stalks tenderly. Why was he standing over me like that!?  
  
<No.> I stubbornly buried my face into my arms.  
  
I hear movement beside me before something warm presses into my back. Something furry and warm to be more precise. I snapped my eyes open before turning a stalk slowly over my head. I was met with dark blue fur covering my vision.

A finger slowly slides onto my ear before gently rubbing it. My ear starts to tingle making me jerk away from it, sitting up. I was met with the sight of the sub-visser curled behind me, staring down at me with a small smile.  
  
<You need to eat.> He said, motioning towards the grass he had left on the floor for me. I blinked as I looked between him and the grass. For a moment my hearts hurt terribly as I remembered the day I was captured. I remembered that Dak had so gently pushed me to eat as well.  
  
<Leave me be.> I groaned curling up again. I made no effort in getting away from him this time. I simply did not have the energy to. I couldn’t even muster the strength to sound slightly angry.  
  
<You have a day before you start starving, you will eat.> He pushes at my side in an attempt to get me to my hooves.  
  
I knew he was just going to continue to pester me until I ate. The faster I ate the faster he will probably leave.  
  
It took too much effort to get to my hooves and too much effort to actually walk over to the grass. I looked down at it as if I had no clue how to eat it. I heard a stomp beside me and I heaved a sigh moving a hoof over the pile of tough grass.  
  
<Good.> He grunted once I crushed it underfoot, cutting off pieces to pull into my leg.  
  
<Why do you care so much if I starve or not?> I bitterly asked him, wondering why he just won’t let me die in peace. What was the point of continuing on? I had no family and I lost the only person I truly cared about on this planet. There was nothing to live for.  
  
<Because Aldrea, I’d actually like to keep you around.> The Sub-Visser answered, slipping in beside me. I felt his fur brush up against mine as he presses against me. I didn’t have the will to tell him off about it.  
  
Also to be quite honest, I enjoyed it. Something about having another pressing against me in such a warm, comforting way. I could feel myself ignoring the food even more just to lean into him. Why was he so comforting? Was it because his host was an andalite as well? Did I… miss another andalite’s touch?  
  
<Aldrea, you must eat.> He gently told me, fingertips lightly brushing just at my jawline. I did not have the energy to move any further. It was like my limbs had turned to stone and all I could do was lean against him, enjoying his warmth.  
  
<Aldrea…> I felt his breath stir my eye-stalk fur as he leans down towards me. I opened my eyes slightly just in time to see how he was _looking_ at me. The affectionate expression he had as he almost lovingly brushes his tail down my hip.  
  
I did not want to fight him for once. I actually just wanted to be touched like this, by another living being. I no longer wanted to feel the sting of wounds being inflicted on my body nor the agony of bones being broken in punishment. No after all of this, after all that had happened… I wanted comfort.  
  
<Aldrea please eat.> His gentle, quivering voice said while he starts taking steps towards the food.  
  
I took a step forward once he did, quietly protesting each step of the way. Once all four of my hooves were buried in the pile of grass I finally began to understand. So I began crushing the grass under my hooves, looking down at the ground. I felt a slight tingle running up my leg as I pulled grass up it to my first stomach.  
  
Once again I was imagining Dak’s own gentleness towards me. I imagined him doing the same to me as this abomination was, gently guiding me to eat. Affectionately urging me on as he looks down at me with a kind smile.  
  
Dak...  
  
My hearts began to hurt… no they were in pure agony as my body begins to shake. I found myself suddenly falling into the Sub-Visser my weakening legs unable to support me. I could feel him slip his tail under my stomach to support me as I completely went limp. I could feel worry slipping from him while he tried to steady me.  
  
He was dead, he really was dead. I would never be able to see his smile ever again or hear him speak or laugh… I would never know what his touch upon my cheeks were like. Even if he was not of my own kind I knew my feelings for him were of the romantic type. Perhaps it was because there were no male andalites around or maybe I was simply lonely. I did not know but I knew I ached for his presence.  
  
<Aldrea? Are you alright?>  
  
I felt Sub-Visser Five slip a hand over my right cheek, pushing my head into his ribs. My cheek began to tingle in response to his touch. I even found myself nuzzling into his body, my hands resting on his raised arm. His warm scent filled my nose while I accepted his presence.  
  
<Do not move again.> I told him, my fingers tightening around his arm further. I could hear him sigh above me, his tail traveling over my back. I felt him resting it on me.  
  
<If that is what you want then I’ll stay still.>  
  
<Yes it is.> Though I slowly start lowering myself to the ground, taking him with me. He did not even attempt to protest as I leaned heavily against his relaxing body. I could hear his primary heart beating in his chest as I rested my ear against it. Unconsciously I found my tail curling around his own, squeezing it as I closed all four of my eyes.  
  
Comfort… He was comforting for me when he shouldn’t be. Had I finally broke? Had I finally given into him?  
  
The answer had to be no. I had not given into him just yet as I was simply seeking comfort from him. But maybe this really was just giving into him? I did not know.  
  
<Aldrea, you are…so very  lovely.> I could hear some kind of emotion seeping into his voice. An emotion that felt like great happiness. <I had always wanted you like this… to feel you like this. I…>  
  
For a moment the thought of the yeerk actually being in love with me crossed my mind. And for that moment, I felt happy about it. But my rational side was quick to toss that thought out. Yeerks can not love like we can. No, there was no way that he was in love with me. And I certainly did not want him to be.  
  
<Do you find me attractive Aldrea?> The question he had asked so many times. So many times I had given the same answer but now I find myself asking _myself_ that very same question.  
  
I found myself gravitating towards him in this situation. His body was warm and strong. He was comforting me in a time that he could’ve just used to break me completely if he wanted to. I knew that a minor way, I was attracted to him. I wanted to be touched by him at this moment. I knew that if I deny him now he would tear himself from me and yell at me.  
  
I wanted him to stay so I did something foolish.  
  
I turned my upper body around until I was facing him. I reached up with both of my hands before lightly placing them against his cheeks. For a moment I felt disgusted at the tingles but I pushed it down in order make myself seem convincing. I had to play his game like before to get what I wanted. And what I wanted was his presence here with me, no matter how much I hated him before.  
  
<Yes.>  
  
<Aldrea…> His hands shakily made contact with my cheeks making them tingle. I closed my eyes as leaned into his touch,begging for more. His warm hands rubbed my cheeks over and over, making me practically dizzy with his kiss. The strong male scent coming off of his body made me want more from him. I couldn’t stop.  
  
I found myself getting deeper with my own kiss, our eyes focused on one another. His bright green eyes slowly filling with affection while mine became more gentle. I could feel my thoughts becoming clouded as I gave into him for the first time since he had taken me. At my lowest, I sought comfort from this abomination.  
  
<Come here…> I pulled down his face to mine before slipping my hands off of his cheeks. I wrapped my arms around his torso while I shook off his hands. The full body contact was amazingly pleasant. I could feel his muscles tense under me as I held him against me. That was when I pressed my cheek against his.  
  
My brain alighted with energy as he started rubbing his cheek against mine in response. His breaths became uneven just as my hearts started to flutter. I could see his eyes becoming unfocused as he begins to shift his body, tail tightening firmly around my own. I could feel his body lifting up as he pulls his face away from mine.  
  
He began kissing me again, cheek to cheek, pulling my upper body close to his own. I wrapped my arms around him from behind me, begging for something I could not even begin to describe. I wanted to feel him all over me, weighing me down with his form. I felt the instinctive want to have him take control.  
  
Wordlessly, he pulls away from my body as he starts picking his body up. For a moment I felt a flash of fear that he was going to leave me but those thoughts were quickly chased away. He was starting to move over me.  
  
His scent burned in my nostrils as a new weight was placed upon my own body. His warm stomach pressed against my back, ruffling my fur. He pulled my tail to the side with his own while spreading his back legs. His hips slipped down against mine, closed sheath pressing against my vulva.  
  
I slowly began to come to the realization of what was happening. I never knew that I would be doing this, especially not now. Had I really gone too far? Was I finally broken by my grief? Why was I allowing this now?  
  
<Aldrea.> He rests his soft cheek on my neck, main eyes focused upon my own. <Let us be together as we should have been. If I can not make you my host… then we will be together in another way.>  
  
I couldn’t help the shiver running down my spine at his words. I felt both fear and excitement. I wanted to stop but I as well wanted to continue. I knew of the other way he spoke of, one shared only by mates. Once I give into his wish there was no going back for either of us. I would forever be a traitor to my own kind… we both will be. But… I would not be alone.  
  
I kept silent as I lifted my hips slightly, just enough for him to enter me as he so desired to. His breath shudders on my cheek in reply to my silent acceptance. I could feel him starting to tremble above me with some overwhelming emotion.  
It did not take him long to get erect nor to enter me. The odd feeling of something spreading me open until it almost burned mixed with the dizzying pleasure made me practically lose all sense allowing instinct to take over completely.  
  
He held me against his body as he mated with me. His strong thrusts rocked my body until he had to hold onto me so that I would not fall. I could feel my body reacting to his own just as it should have. The stinging pleasure of sex along with the comforting warmth of his own form was enough to drive me insane.  
  
Even as we reached the climax, I could not help but babble about him not leaving me and staying with me so that I may not be lonely. He only could respond with an intense wave of pleasured delight as the barrier between our minds broke down in the wake of the _hala’flu_ .  
  
Alloran’s own mind budded within mine as well. I could feel his terror and anger which started to snap me out of the daze I was in. It was starting to bring me back to reality. I could feel the sting of our copulation as well now that we both were coming back.

<Aldrea, you are mine… you are forever mine. No one will have you as I had have you.> He whispered, pulling slowly out of me. I could feel the tingle of both of their minds in my own. Esplin’s obsessive yet affectionate mind overpowered Alloran’s almost to the point I couldn’t hear him. I knew it was over, now there was no escaping.  
  
I could feel something dripping out of me as the fog of lust and grief finally dispersed. The scent of sweat on my body was strong in my nose and I could feel his softening erection slipping upwards into his sheath as his own arousal ended. I struggled for a moment to make sense of what I had actually done.  
  
Regret was almost instant once it all came together. I could feel my stomachs turn as I became sick with not only with him but myself as well. I had given myself to a yeerk who was using the body of a fellow andalite. I remembered distinctly his host’s mind becoming one with mine as well. I knew that the yeerk could have never done that unless he was involved.  
  
<Aldrea… do not regret this. Don’t you dare.> Sub-Visser Five’s hands were suddenly upon my shoulders, gripping tightly. I could _feel_ him becoming upset with me. It takes me a moment to come to realize that the _hala’flu_ had left my mind open to his completely. He knew exactly what I was feeling at the moment.  
  
<Do **not** regret this. > He was sounding more and more upset. It could feel his tail practically crushing mine as he repeated that phrase over and over. I could not help myself, I have performed a horrible crime just for my own momentary satisfaction. I had not only ruined myself but the male he had used to do this.  
  
<I am sorry, please forgive me.> I whispered to the both of them as the Sub-Visser pulled me tightly against his body, rocking his hips against mine. I knew what he was trying to do and it wasn’t going to work a second time. But just as I had consented once, I will consent again to giving my body to him. I knew that at this point there was nothing left for me to fight for. I was completely his now.  
  
<Aldrea, Aldrea, Aldrea.> He grunted over and over as he mated me again in a desperate attempt to made me fall back into the state I was before. I could not, I would not.  
  
His second orgasm came quieter than the last, only just a feeling of something entering my inner womb. I leaned back against him, squirming for a moment as his harsh breaths burned the back of my ear. For a moment I felt pleasure again as he presses insistently upon my clitoris, trying to get me to climax as well. It worked disturbingly well, even if he did force it.  
  
Once again our minds connected. His anger and pain was quite terrifying, almost like he was removed from the action he was doing. I could also faintly feel his host’s despair and grief as he comes to realizing what I had just a few weeks ago.  
  
There was no escaping this yeerk.


	13. Esplin 9466

I had ruined everything just for a spur of the moment sexual encounter. Everything had been going well until I had decided my best move was to bond with her by the _hala’flu_ . I should have known she was going to regret everything about it. I should have known that she was acting on her currently unstable emotions. But I just had to have done that. Even now I could feel her pain.   
  
She had withdrawn from me completely after that day I had decided to complete our bond. She would not react to my touch nor voice, only staring blankly at a wall. I felt her emotions which were… rather disturbing. She was deep in a depressive state and nothing else. No other emotion crossed her mind. I knew that I had broken her but it wasn’t all my doing. I thought she was finally giving up to me but I was clearly wrong.

I was a fool to believe she would so easily give up to me. Now… what was I going to do with her? She’s lost everything that had made her interesting. How do I fix this?

The only good thing to come from this was Alloran’s silence. He hadn’t really acknowledge my existence since what had happened. At first he was beyond disgusted and angry at me for using his body for such an awful purpose. He was even more furious Aldrea would even give into me like that. But that had changed ever since he saw exactly what kind of state she had fallen into since then. I believe he’s starting to realize that he was going to be the same way soon enough.

“Visser Twenty-Four, Sir?”  
  
I blinked my eyes several times before turning a stalk on my lieutenant. For a moment I felt my tail twitch in annoyance as I frowned at him. Must my thoughts always be interrupted?   
  
<Report.> I sighed, getting up from my desk. I stretch out each of my host’s powerful legs before focusing all four eyes on the yeerk in front of me.   
  
“There are several more andalian ships coming down west planet side. These include six warships and ten transport ships. They have disappeared into the blue valleys and we are led to believe that the andalites are making a base down there.” He stiffens a bit when I let out a loud snort.   
  
<Continue observations and report to me with something other than things I already know.> I dismissed him with a grand wave of my tail. He was rather quick to leave my office and I was glad for it.   
  
I am still trying to get used to my new title, Visser 24. I had gotten it not too long ago after news of my new host spread to the newly formed Council of Thirteen themselves. They were more than happy to commend me on my work and give me a nice cushy rank with it. I was now the head of the Hork-Bajir invasion which was not a position I was enjoying though. Visser Nine could’ve certainly kept this position.   
  
Ever since Visser Nine had procured me a new rank he had been shipped off to more important duties somewhere else in the universe. I had to say that I was more than happy to see him gone. Now I could do as I pleased without him leaning on me or following me around like the love-struck fool he was. I could finally have some peace!   
  
<Ugh…> I returned to sitting down on my haunches behind my desk. Somewhere in the corner I could see the monitor I had set up along with a camera in Aldrea’s own room. I perked up a bit when I noticed that she was at the small simulated stream in one corner of the room, drinking from it. She finally had moved from her bed!   
  
I take a moment to observe her pawing at the water as she continued to drink. Vaguely I could hear Alloran getting upset with me again. He hated it when I just stare at Aldrea like that. Even more so now that he was connected with her own mind.   
  
Speaking of that…   
  
I tapped into my host’s brain and allowed myself to feel what Aldrea was feeling. It was vague considering she probably had her mind closed off to me like she often did, but she was simply weary. I closed off myself from my host’s mind when I saw that she had suddenly jerked from the water. She must have felt me prodding at her because now she was slinking out of view to the bed again.   
  
I sighed.   
  
Perhaps I should return back to her. But then again she would be the same way as she had been for the past week. Unresponsive and utterly boring. What was the fun in having an andalite if she no longer fought with you? I missed that part of her.   
  
“Sir?” There was a voice outside my door, making me sigh internally again. What was it now?   
  
<Come in.> I get to my hooves again, turning off the monitor just as the door slides open. I almost groaned as I realized that he was carrying a large stack of tablets that were obviously the requests from each sector for provisions and equipment. The last thing I needed.   
  
“Visser 24, Sir, I-”   
  
<Just put them on the table and leave.> I rubbed my temples as I sat down heavily. Why couldn’t I have someone else do this for me? I had better things to do than worry about whether or not the scientists in building 24a, sector five have enough beakers. I could hardly care!   
  
I just watched the yeerk quickly walk to my table and put down the tablets rather noisily. I watched as he left before looking at the mess on my table. There had to be a better data system that didn’t involve so. many. _tablets_. Why couldn’t we have a system like the andalites where everything is sent directly and digitally to one another? This is just ridiculous.

It took far too long to complete all of those requests and by the time I dragged myself out of my office, I felt like my brain had melted. I could feel my host’s weariness as well which made me feel a bit better. At least he was suffering just as I was. Then again, Alloran preferred the battle field over an office anyday.

<Aldrea?> I called as I stepped into my room, glancing around with my stalks. 

One corner was a stream with a small waterfall that recycles water as it goes through. But she wasn’t there. At another side, my personal computers were set up but off and seemed to have been off for quite awhile. So she wasn’t there either.   
  
I knew that she wasn’t in my personal bathing area considering the door was closed and I could not see steam coming up from under the door. But as I finally come to rest on one dark corner of the room, away from my bed.  
  
My eyes settled on her curled up form which had somehow managed to squish into a tiny corner. For a moment I felt a flash of annoyance in my mind which I knew had to be from Aldrea. Was she finally coming back? No, it was simply my presence that annoyed her. She knew that I was going to ‘bother’ her again.   
  
<Are you hungry?> I asked quietly, kneeling down beside her to run my hands down her side. She doesn’t do anything but turn a stalk at me, staring at me with a dreary expression.   
  
<I had eaten.> She replied, hardly shifting as I curl up beside her. Her warm fur pressed against my side as I lightly rest my tail over her’s. She seemed to stiffen for a moment before relaxing.   
  
Alloran’s memories had been useful… at least up until we had mated and well that didn’t end well. I had hoped that she would become complacent if she knew what I had felt for her. My hope was misplaced it would seem. She had completely lost it that night after we had finished. She seemed to fall into deeper despair, one that I had been spending days trying to coax her out of. This time though, she had shut her feelings away from me, making sure I would no longer be able to sway them.  
  
<I do not believe you.> I straightened myself up, looking down at her with all four eyes.   
  
<Leave me be.> She groaned, pulling away from my body as she presses herself against the wall. I _hated_ how pathetic she looked. What happened to my lovely Aldrea? What happened to the female with the fire in her eyes and a fury that would make a Visser think twice enticing?  
  
<You _will_ eat.>   
  
I get to my hooves, glaring down at her. I could feel my host’s horror mounting as he sees what I was planning. Good, let him fret.   
  
<Get up!>   
  
I stomped my hoof into her side, squeezing down onto the ribs. Her eyes shot open wide before she starts squirming, hooves kicking out as she does. She only manages to kick off of the wall and unbalance me in the process. My face twisted into a cruel sneer as she looked up at me with confusion twisting her features. She looked at her side then back at me, eyes narrowing.  
  
<Did you misunderstand me? Get up you sultery _whore._ > I snarled, kicking her again. I had enough of responding to her with kindness. If she was going to act like a brat then I was going to punish her as if she was one.   
  
<AH!> She squirms some more before I feel a heavy thump in my side. I stumbled back as I see her tail come curling around her body while she sits up, eyes wide. She blinks a few times before looking at her tail then back at me.  
  
I take a step forward, nostrils flaring as I prod at her mind. I was pleased to find her upset and angry. Good.  
  
<Wait!> She cried as I stand over her, intent on giving her another kick.   
  
<Hmmm?>   
  
She pushes herself to her hooves, legs shaking as she glares down at the floor. I could tell she hadn’t eaten at all if she was so weak. I felt my nose wrinkle as she uses the wall to hold herself up. Great, she now looks even more pathetic.   
  
She slowly slips by me as she heads to the corner where I kept a patch of fast growing grass. I could feel her tiredness pulling at her thoughts as she buries a hoof into it and begins plucking up grass to eat. She keeps her eyes firmly on the patch, ignoring my stares.   
  
<Now that wasn’t so hard now was it?>  
  
<Leave me be now.> She sighed in reply.   
  
Well a little bit of fight is a good start.   
  
<Keep talking like that and I may have to teach you manners again.> I leaned back on my back legs, examining her weary form.   
  
<Like it matters anymore.> Was her tired reply.   
  
<Yes it doe->  
  
<Be silent yeerk, I can tell I upset you. Is it because I am weak? Does my docility make you upset? Well let this be known _yeerk,_ this is all _your_ fault.> She was glaring at me now. My main eyes widened in delight as I heard her snap at me for the first time in a long time. That’s it!  
  
I start to speak again but she cuts me off again. I could feel her anger rising within my mind like a slowly building storm.   
  
<You had gotten what you wish and yet you still are not satisfied. What will satisfy you? Me giving you everything else I had? Giving up not only my body but my love as well?> She yanks her hoof out of the grass, all four of her eyes focused on me. <What will it take for you to leave me alone? Had you not done enough?>  
  
I balk at her interestingly strong words, wondering how I should reply. It had been quite awhile since she had fought me like this. I was almost nostalgic over just her speaking to me like this. But... she was not completely right about her own situation. I could make it _so_ much more worse for her. So much more horrid.  
  
<I could impregnate you.> I offered lightly, but yet so deviously. The amount of disgust that came from my host was more than enough to make me smile. He did _not_ like that.   
  
Of course no one really enjoyed the messy side of needing hosts. Once hosts start getting old and dying they needed to be replaced. That meant new hosts needed to be born which meant we would need to make host bodies go through the messy process of reproduction. It required certain conditions to be met then the female host body going through pregnancy until she gave birth. Unfortunately, from what we had found out about Hork-Bajir, they laid a single egg per pregnancy that needed to be incubated within a tree. The female is also unable to reproduce for another year or so because of it. We also could not make them bear more than one egg. It was impossible to make a female hork-bajir ovulate more than one ovum each reproductive phase.

This meant the process was woefully slow.

But for andalites, we could easily manipulate their reproductive process to have them bear more than one child. Three even! Andalites do not like this about their anatomy so they make sure they can only bear one through tampering. They also make sure females do not go into their peak reproductive phase because of how much a female loses her senses. But that is all easily bypassed because in the end, andalites were nothing but animals just like every other species. Beautiful, intelligent, strong animals that made perfect host bodies.  
  
The horror that spread across her face was beyond delightful. She even started backing herself up against the wall while tucking her tail between her legs as if I had told her I was going to do it now. But I had no intentions of having any children with her. I wanted her for me, and me alone. A child would simply divide her attention away from me.

I couldn’t have that.   
  
<You wouldn’t _dare._ > She opened her lovely eyes wide in horror.   
  
<Oh yes, we always need more hosts Aldrea. If you’d like I can just send you to a breeding facility for say… three children?>   
  
I leaned down towards her, taking notice of her twitching tail. Her eyes lingered on my face before slowly slipping down my body towards my own tail. She was calculating perhaps if she could get away with hitting me with it? Oh I would love to see her try to do so.   
  
<I will kill myself before that happens.> She was trembling like a weak child now, avoiding my insistent stare. <I will Esplin, I really will.>   
  
<How? Try and starve yourself and I’ll force feed you. Try to get me to attack you and I will simply knock you unconscious. Drown yourself? The water is too shallow.> I leaned in closed, a sadistic smile spreading over my face. Now she was finally reacting. <You’ll never die as long as I want you to stay alive.>   
  
A look of distress crossed over her face and she snatches her gaze away from my own. Her whole body seemed to shrink into itself impossibly further. The trembling of her small form made me blink at her a few times. She was breaking down again it would seem, wonderful.

<I will not do it if you simply quit being so withdrawn.> I laid down on my stomach, tucking my front hooves under my chest.

<Leave me be.> She mumbled, tail curling around her smaller form. She buried her face into her arms, ignoring me once more. 

I sigh heavily at her.   
  
<Quit being such an infant Aldrea.> I lightly dig my tail into the ground for a moment.

She did not reply. 

<Aldrea if you do not reply, I will punish you.>   
  
She lifted a stalk, glaring at me with it.   
  
<That is not a reply.> Why was I speaking to her like she was a child? Why would I even need to be speaking to her like this?

<Leave me be.> She repeated herself once more. But I wasn’t about to do so just because she told me to. 

<Never.> I crossed my arms over my chest, turning a stalk down towards her. <So do please quit asking that of me Aldrea, it is becoming tiresome.>

Once again she did not reply but did continue to stare at me with a stalk. I just stared back, wondering when she was going to look away. But she didn’t, she kept staring until _I_ looked away instead. Well I couldn’t help but feel impressed that she had switched so quickly without much effort on my part. Now if only other things in life worked like her. 

<Quit smiling filth.> I heard Aldrea spat at me, prompting me to look at her.   
  
<Makes you upset?> I ask smugly.   
  
<Your smile is just as ugly as your personality.> She snips.   
  
<Ah, too bad you are going to be seeing it for the rest of our natural lives.> I couldn’t stop grinning at this point. She really was attempting to anger me wasn’t she?   
  
<Filthy yeerk.> She fell silent after that.   
  
Ah, it certainly felt better having her back to her old self. Even if it was temporary.

 


End file.
